Manager Skip Schumaker helped the Marlins make the playoffs in 2023. However, things have certainly not panned out this season. The Marlins are nearing the end of a disappointing 2024 campaign. And it seems as if the changes around the team are already beginning.
Schumaker has informed his players that he will not return in 2025, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Passan notes that Schumaker will also miss the final two games of this season for personal reasons. Miami won 15-5 over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday in what ended up being the Marlins manager's final game.
Schumaker won National League Manager of the Year last season. However, his contract was restructured this offseason. An initial team option for the 2025 MLB season was removed from the deal. As a result, the Marlins manager is a free agent this winter.
Skip Schumaker could be in demand after leaving Marlins
Skip Schumaker hasn't had it easy in 2024 after making the postseason last year. Injuries to Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, and Jesus Luzardo decimated Miami's rotation. In fact, the team has had to start 19 different starting pitchers over the course of the season.
In the end, the Marlins sold at the MLB Trade Deadline. And in the end, they went from 84 wins last year to 100 losses in 2024. However, Passan says the baseball world holds Schumaker in a positive light. He could be in demand as a managerial free agent, especially with some of his former teams potentially having vacancies.
Schumaker is expected to be a candidate for the two current vacancies in baseball. The Cincinnati Reds need a new manager after firing David Bell recently. And the Chicago White Sox are looking for someone to lead the franchise out of the worst season in modern baseball history.
Schumaker has some history with the Reds. The 44-year-old skipper played his final season with Cincinnati in 2015. He played 131 games for the Reds that season, slashing .242/.306/.336. The St. Louis Cardinals are another team worth considering. Schumaker played eight seasons in St. Louis before serving as bench coach in 2022.
Schumaker is likely to land on his feet elsewhere in 2025 if he wishes to manage. It certainly seems as if the former outfielder will be sought after this winter. His situation is one fans will definitely want to keep tabs on as the offseason rolls on. It will be interesting to see how this move affects Schumaker and the Marlins moving forward.