As the MLB playoffs get set to begin on Tuesday, the 18 teams that failed to reach the postseason are gearing up for the offseason. Four of them are without a manager, one of them being the Cleveland Guardians following the retirement of future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona.

Odds for the next Guardians skipper have been released by BetOnline and a somewhat surprising name tops the list.

Former big league outfielder Will Venable is the favorite to land the Guardians job, sitting at +300 odds. The 40-year-old is currently serving as associate manager for the Texas Rangers, acting as Bruce Bochy's right-hand man during Texas' run to the postseason.

Venable has been an MLB coach for six seasons, serving as a base coach for the Chicago Cubs from 2018-2020 before becoming the Boston Red Sox bench coach in 2021, a position he held for two seasons. He played in parts of nine MLB seasons.

Venable interviewed for several managerial openings over the past few years but there may be no better time than now for a team to tab him as manager. After a year of guidance under Bochy, a three-time World Series champion manager, Venable has all the marks on his resume to make for an MLB manager.

He comes highly recommended by several big league coaches and managers and fits the bill as a young first-time manager, something the Guardians haven’t had since hiring a 35-year-old Eric Wedge in 2003. Venable is also seen as a frontrunner for the San Francisco Giants manager opening.

Sandy Alomar Jr., Joe Espada and Mark DeRosa are all viable candidates to be the Guardians' next manager as well.