Why Skip Schumaker, MLB’s hottest free-agent manager, may not return to the dugout until 2026 season

When Skip Schumaker parted ways with the Miami Marlins at season’s end, he solidified his position as the winter’s top free-agent skipper. Nearly a month later, it seems increasingly possible that Schumaker won’t find himself in a dugout on Opening Day 2025. 

Instead Schumaker, who led the Marlins to a shocking playoff berth in 2023 before ownership changed management and management changed the franchise’s short-term goals, may require a bridge year that sees him serve in a different role, perhaps even with a club in a front-office capacity.

Just how did we reach this point, where the top free-agent manager might go without a job? And why might waiting a year for a new managerial gig end up being a boon for Schumaker? Let’s answer both questions using a convenient subheading format.

1. Job market never developed

In order for Schumaker to land a new gig, a new gig has to be made available to him. It just so happened that teams like the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays — and other clubs who could’ve justified moving on from their current skippers — decided to stand pat (the Mariners fired Scott Servais in August, but did not chain an interim tag to his replacement, Dan Wilson). That, in turn, left a limited amount of chairs available for the taking.

Indeed, barring a late change, only three clubs will enter next season with new managers: the Marlins; the Cincinnati Reds, who already lured Terry Francona out of retirement; and the Chicago White Sox. 

Seeing as how Schumaker split from the Marlins, and how the Reds presumably had eyes only for Francona, a venerable legend in the industry, that left one plausible destination: the White Sox. You can understand if he wanted nothing to do with the team coming off the worst single season in modern Major League Baseball history.

Schumaker, then, had nowhere to turn. While it might stink for the time being, it might end up being a blessing in disguise when all is said and done.

2. Next year should feature better prospects

Trying to predict what, precisely, the managerial job market will look like in a year’s time is a good waste of free will. Nevertheless, the bar is low enough at present that it seems certain that next winter’s marketplace will have more attractive landing spots.

The contracts of three older managers will expire after next season: Ron Washington (72 years old, Los Angeles Angels); Brian Snitker (69, Atlanta Braves); and Bud Black (67, Colorado Rockies). Should they take the opportunity to retire, that would create three openings right there — with the Braves being a highly desirable one.

That’s to say nothing of the distinct possibility of a more competitive team than the White Sox (we know, we know) moving on from their current manager. There are any number of clubs who fit that billing, ranging from the aforementioned Blue Jays to the Minnesota Twins and beyond. One team in particular will remain linked to Schumaker until he takes a job with them or elsewhere: the St. Louis Cardinals.

Remember, not only did Schumaker play with the Cardinals, he also served as a bench coach for them prior to joining the Marlins. The Cardinals recently hired two of his former Marlins coaches, Brant Brown and Jon Jay, directly to their MLB staff. Could that just be a coincidence? Absolutely. Will it still fuel speculation? You bet.

Of course, none of this is to suggest Schumaker can walk into whatever opening he wants. It does, however, indicate that the gig he gets might be worth waiting on.