In the same way that players feel extra pressure to produce entering their last season before free agency, managers and front office bosses similarly feel the heat when entering the final year of their contracts. The difference is that even if a player has a rough season, they’re usually still in position to land at least a one-year deal in some fashion for the next year — a manager or a GM could find themselves fired in the wake of a bad year, with no guarantee about when (or even if) they’ll get another shot at leading a dugout or a front office.
This list details the baseball operations bosses (whatever their specific title) and managers who are entering the final year of their contracts, as well as the personnel whose contractual situations aren’t publicly known. Some clubs don’t publicize the terms of employee contracts, so it is entirely possible that some of these names signed extensions months ago but the teams have chosen to keep these new deals quiet for the time being. And, of course, the length of a contract doesn’t always correlate to job security. One bad season or even a poor start could suddenly threaten the status of a manager or head of baseball ops that seemingly seems safe right now.
As always, thanks to Cot’s Baseball Contracts for reference information on some of these contracts.
Angels: It’s pretty unusual to see a newly-hired manager already on this list, yet that is the situation Kurt Suzuki finds himself in after signing just a one-year guarantee to become the Halos’ new skipper. The deal has multiple club option years attached, and while one would imagine Suzuki wouldn’t be let go so quickly, the Angels’ manager’s office has been enough of a revolving door in recent years that it is hard to guess what owner Arte Moreno might do next. GM Perry Minasian is also entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, with a club option for the 2027 season. Ten consecutive losing seasons has led to a lot of discord in Anaheim, and an eleventh sub-.500 year might get both Suzuki and Minasian sent packing by next offseason.
Astros: GM Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada are each entering their final season under contract, with Brown hired in January 2023 and Espada in November 2023. Earlier this month, Astros owner Jim Crane didn’t entirely close the door on the possibility of an extension for either Brown or Espada, but said “I think we’ll go through this year like we always do, evaluate it and then make the decision at the end of the year.” Reading between the lines, it certainly seems like the spotlight will be on Brown and Espada, especially since the Astros are coming off their first non-playoff season since 2016. While the team’s laundry list of injuries is a valid excuse for their 2025 letdown, some personnel changes might well be coming if Houston can’t get back into the postseason hunt this year.
Athletics: General manager David Forst’s contract has already expired, as his most recent deal with the team was up following the 2025 campaign. Owner John Fisher has stated that “conversations are ongoing” about another extension, and since it has apparently been business as usual for the A’s this offseason, it seems like it’s just a matter of time before Forst formally extends his long stint in the team’s front office. Forst only officially took over the baseball operations department in the 2022-23 offseason, but he has been with the Athletics since 2000, first working as a scout and then becoming one of Billy Beane’s top lieutenants.
Blue Jays: GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider are both entering the final year of their contracts, as the Jays exercised their 2026 club option on Schneider’s deal back in November. This duo was facing heavy pressure heading into the 2025 season, yet Toronto’s AL pennant and near-miss in the World Series has entirely changed the narrative for both Atkins and Schneider. The Blue Jays already extended team president/CEO Mark Shapiro a few weeks ago, and extensions for Atkins and Schneider should follow before Opening Day.
Brewers: Pat Murphy is entering the final season of his three-year contract, but it is hard to believe the Brew Crew won’t have the manager soon locked up on another deal. Murphy has been named NL Manager of the Year in each of the first two seasons, won consecutive NL Central titles, and this October led the Brewers to their first NLCS appearance since 2018. October also saw Matt Arnold receive a promotion from GM to president of baseball operations, even though Arnold has already been the Brewers’ top baseball exec for the last three seasons. Arnold’s specific contract situation hasn’t been made clear for a few years now, but it would surely seem like Milwaukee’s continued success and his new job title probably landed the PBO an extension at some point. Regardless, Arnold seems in no danger of being fired even if 2026 is his last year under contract.
Cardinals: Oli Marmol is headed into his final year, but the manger and the Cardinals have already started discussing an extension to retain Marmol beyond the 2026 campaign. It seems like something should be finalized in due course, with St. Louis continuing to entrust Marmol with the reins as the team now moves into a full-on rebuild phase.
Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo has quietly become one of baseball’s longer-tenured managers, as Lovullo has been running Arizona’s dugout since the 2016-17 offseason. He has signed multiple extensions (none for more than two guaranteed years) since his initial three-year pact, yet while 2026 represents the final year of Lovullo’s current deal, the Diamondbacks are reportedly going to let Lovullo enter the season without an extension in place. Owner Ken Kendrick did praise Lovullo’s efforts in keeping the D’Backs competitive amidst a swath of pitching injuries and a partial trade deadline selloff in 2025, but it is intriguing that the vote of confidence wasn’t backed up by another contract. This will be a storyline to watch as the Diamondbacks’ season progresses, and a change in the dugout might well be coming if the D’Backs can’t get back into the postseason.
Dodgers: President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman first came to Los Angeles on a five-year, $35MM pact covering the 2015-19 seasons, and he signed an extension back in November 2019. Terms of that deal weren’t known, yet it is clear that if Friedman hasn’t already signed another new deal in the last six years, the Dodgers are almost surely keen in retaining the executive. The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in every single season of Friedman’s tenure, have won three World Series championships under his leadership, and have become baseball’s dominant franchise due to both their record-high payrolls and their ability to draft and develop minor league talent.
Guardians: Chris Antonetti gets an obligatory mention since the Guardians haven’t publicly addressed his contract status since he signed an extension with the team back in 2013. Following the 2015 season, Antonetti was promoted to the president of baseball operations title, and his decade in charge has seen Cleveland make seven postseason appearances. As the Guards are coming off their sixth AL Central crown of Antonetti’s tenure, there is no sense ownership is looking to make a change, nor is there any sense Antonetti (who has turned down overtures from other teams in the past) is looking to leave.
Mariners: Dan Wilson’s contract terms weren’t made public when he was hired as manager in August 2024, and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s status hasn’t been addressed since he signed a contract extension of an unknown length back in September 2021. It may very well be that Dipoto has quietly signed another deal in the last four-plus years, but regardless, the Mariners’ success in 2025 very likely means neither Dipoto or Wilson are going anywhere, even if the M’s don’t feel the need to publicize any extensions.
Marlins: Previous Miami GM Kim Ng was signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season, and the Marlins chose to pass on that option in order to hire Peter Bendix as the new president of baseball operations. Terms of Bendix’s contract weren’t disclosed, so given the length of Ng’s contract, it is possible Bendix could also be entering his final guaranteed year if Miami pursued the same structure with another first-time front office boss. While Ng’s dismissal caught many in baseball by surprise, Bendix’s job appears to be a lot safer, as the Marlins’ surprising surge to 79 wins in 2025 is a promising step forward for the team’s (latest) rebuild.
Mets: Carlos Mendoza is entering the final guaranteed year of his three-year contract, and New York holds a club option on the manager’s services for the 2027 season. The Mets have overhauled both Mendoza’s coaching staff and a good chunk of the roster in the wake of the slow-motion collapse that left the team outside the playoff picture in 2025, so far more is expected than just an 83-79 record this year. The club option probably means that the Mets will wait until after the season (if at all) to discuss an extension, and given the Mets’ high payroll and expectations, even a slow start might put Mendoza’s status in jeopardy.
Orioles: Mike Elias’ contract terms were never publicized when he was hired to lead Baltimore’s front office in November 2018, though he did receive a title change from general manager to president of baseball operations last offseason. Elias’ specific contract status remains unspecified, and it is possible he could be facing more heat if the O’s have another subpar season. Consecutive playoff appearances were followed by the thud of a 75-87 record in 2025, though ownership appears to have given Elias some support in the form of bigger budget, as the Orioles’ busy offseason has been highlighted by the blockbuster Pete Alonso signing.
Padres: Reports in early November suggested that A.J. Preller was close to signing a new extension to remain as San Diego’s PBO, though close to three months later, there hasn’t been any word of a deal between the two sides. It could be that a contract was signed but simply not publicly announced, or perhaps Preller and the team agreed to table the negotiations until after most of the Padres’ offseason business was complete. Considering all the reports of discord within the Padres’ ownership situation and some possible tension between Preller and team CEO Erik Greupner, a contract extension probably shouldn’t be considered a sure thing until a deal is actually done, though things still seem to be leaning in the direction of Preller getting re-upped. For all of the off-the-field drama that has frequently defined Preller’s long tenure in San Diego, the Padres are coming off their fourth playoff appearance in the last six seasons.
Reds: As Cincinnati is coming off its first playoff berth since 2020, president of baseball operations Nick Krall looks to have a decent amount of job security, and might be in line for an extension depending on his current contract status. Krall has been in charge of the Reds’ front office for the last five seasons, and he received an extension of an unspecified length when he was promoted to the president of baseball operations title following the 2023 campaign.
Tigers: Scott Harris has now finished three full seasons as Detroit’s PBO, so if a four-year contract might be considered the usual minimum for a first-time president of baseball ops, 2026 might be Harris’ final year under contract. It’s all speculative, of course, since Harris’ terms weren’t made public, and it might also be a moot point since Harris could be an extension candidate, if anything. The Tigers have made the second round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, though the team’s late-season collapse in 2025 and the uncertainty over Tarik Skubal’s future remain areas of concern.
Twins: Derek Falvey’s shocking decision to step down as Minnesota’s president of baseball (and business) operations has unexpectedly made GM Jeremy Zoll the top voice in the team’s front office. Zoll was promoted to the GM role in November 2024 to become Falvey’s chief lieutenant, and the length of Zoll’s contract isn’t known. It is fair to guess that Zoll might’ve gotten an extension after becoming general manager, so he probably remains under team control through at least 2027 even after this sudden elevation to the head of the baseball ops department.
White Sox: Chris Getz has been the team’s GM since August 2023, and his tenure has included a record 121-loss season in 2024 and an improvement to “only” 102 losses in 2025. Getz’s contract term wasn’t publicized at the time of his hiring so this is just a speculative entry in case his first deal was only a three-year pact. There doesn’t appear to be any sense that ownership is displeased with the Pale Hose’s progress during the rebuild, so if Getz actually did sign a three-year deal, the Sox might look to extend him at some point this season.
Yankees: Brian Cashman is the longest-tenured front office boss in baseball, acting as the Yankees’ GM since February 1998. That remarkable 28-year run has included 28 winning records and four World Series titles, though the team hasn’t won the Series since 2009. Owner Hal Steinbrenner appears to trust Cashman as much as ever, so it seems very likely that Cashman’s tenure will stretch into a third decade barring an utter disaster of a 2026 season. Cashman’s last deal covered the 2023-26 seasons, but since the Yankees’ aversion to extensions also extends to personnel as well as players, he might not sign his next contract until after his current deal actually expires. It’s a sign of Cashman’s job security that he has waited until December to sign each of his last two contracts to remain with the club.
Cardinals fans thinking Marmol is the problem don’t understand if he gets fired, the front office will find the next inexperienced person to manage under the front office’s philosophy and not actually manage the team themselves.
I want to see how Oli does under a new region (Chaim Bloom).
Yadier Molina is waiting. He may not be the right guy to follow Marmol but the fans want to see it. Keeping Marmol through a rebuild might be the smart move but it will anger a lot of the fanbase.
Yadier? Really I’m a fan and I say no thanks 🤣
some fans want to see it.
Others would rather stay away from it.
Molina is definitely the wrong guy to ever manage in MLB. Molina is about Molina first and STL a distant second. A lot of the fanbase has eroded and keeping Marmol is part of that. Going to be a long and difficult rebuild in STL. Bloom will struggle to make miracles happen there.
The fanbase is dormant. Put a decent product on the field and they will return. I lived through the 70s.
Molina is a do things my way kind of guy. He won’t fit the mold under this ownership.
How many of you really think Mike Matheny was a better interview then Terry Francona? If you raised your hand, please leave the conversation. This was the move that started this slow eroding downfall in St. Louis. Mike Schildt was the best hire this organization made at manager since LaRussa. We saw how that turned out when he pushed back.
Regime?
I never ever have thought that Marmol was the problem. I thought the bad hitting of high priced players and lack of talent of young players have been the problem. Young players have potential but haven’t shown that they can hit a lick yet.
Yadier or Pujols are the next likely Cardinals Manager after Marmol is inevitably axed
I forsee Yadi, taking over for Daniel Descalso next year as the Bench Coach, and then moving into the Hot Seat in 27.
Hard pass on Molina. Wrong guy for the job. Pujols… not convinced he has it. Looking forward to the day Marmol is unceremoniously ushered out the door.
You’d be surprised at how little a field manager actually does as far as decisions go. It all comes from the front office on down based on actual stats and data, and good teams have both the field manager and front office on the same page. A manager’s job at this point is to communicate with the players and juggle their differing personality traits. Basically keep the clubhouse from going off the rails during the marathon season. In the Cardinals case, it won’t matter who’s in the dugout for a while as they’ve been gutting the roster the last couple of years anyway.
Marmol was a bad hire after a terrible firing of Mike Shildt. Not firing him and then extending him was just another fatal error by Mozeliak. No need to keep Marmol now or even through 2026. Extending Marmol after 2026 is a fatal error. We all know STL has gone south since Shildt was fired. A long list of reasons and Marmol is definitely one of them.
Surely it wasn’t the lack of young talent and their remaining good players all getting too old at once.
Wrong on all accounts
Doesn’t Ohtani have a clause he can opt out if Friedman is fired or leaves? Pretty smart for Friedman to accept that clause from Ohtani because it gives him great leverage in negotiations for his own contract
He probably told Ohtani to include that if he wants a ridiculous payout for later in life. It really is a contract with conflict of interest
Hopefully Krall’s failures will come home to roost after this lack of significant movement this off-season.
Here’s a question that I’d like answered by Mark Polishuk or any other MLBTR authors:
Which head of baseball operations person has the most secure job and is in no danger of being fired anytime in the near future?
I’ll post my answer in the responses later.
Dave, i would say Shapiro with the Jays, they just extended him for five more years i believe.
People get fired all the time. Shapiro is rather safe, though.
The answer is obviously Andrew Friedman. Back to back titles (3 in 6 years) and then nabs Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker.
@different
Offering far more than anyone else for a FA who’s getting paid from a +$300 billion dollar piggy bank isn’t really “savvy”.
It’s so easy that the Mets and Padres have spent ungodly sums to miss the postseason entirely.
@different
Haha.. the Mets doesn’t wildly on 1 elite player. The Dodgers hand spent wildly on two, Tucker and Ohtani. But it didn’t stop their because it’s not JUST how much they spy Skenes in AAV it’s the HOW and to what capacity. They’ve spent $1 billion in deferred contracts AND then keep adding more and more each year. PLEASE stop acting like this is normal, or that they’re simply reinvesting more profits from verbal revenue than any other team and willing to “sacrifice” or that other teams can do it the same way. Educate your on what the Guggenheim Partners and 72Point are and what they can do, or stay out the deep end of the pool because you’ll drown in your own ignorance.
If it ain’t Cashman I don’t know who it could be.
One day, and that day may never come….
Friedman. He’s one of the more brilliant baseball ops minds in the league and his bosses gave him the infinite money glitch.
Can Arte Moreno get an expiring contract?
He’s pushing 80 so maybe his time is coming soon.
I like Joe Espada. I would extend him. Dana Brown has done a poor job.
Farte
“”The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in every single season of Friedman’s tenure, have won three World Series championships under his leadership, and have become baseball’s dominant franchise due to both their record-high payrolls and their ability to draft and develop minor league talent.”
Thing is, only Will Smith, Andy Pages, and Ben Casparius are homegrown players. Smith is by far the best of that group.
Current Dodgers are FA driven.
Personally I dont hate the Dodgers like some people, they are a very well run org, who values winning above all else. The team revenue allows FO to solely focus on winning, with little regard for anything else.
Ownership is good with taking less profits short term for longer term gain.
But lets not act like everything they touch turns into WS titles. Less than two years ago they were a team that had won 211 games and gotten bounced in NLDS 2x by division rival.
Baseball gods are fickle, and take back what they give at any time.
Trade acquisitions are based on draft and develop also. So it’s a lot more than just those three.
They won a World Series and three pennants before those early exits
@teufelshunde4
“focus on winning, with little regard for anything else.”
like what?
What’s crazy is the Dodgers aren’t taking less in profits despite running up a half billion+ dollar payroll after luxury taxes are accounted for. The deferred salaries are in an escrow account and the owners are collecting interest from that. LA is the biggest market in the sport as well, and just on broadcasts alone they’re making back almost double their payroll. It’s an insanely well oiled machine.
@teufel @jarred
The fact you guys still think the Dodgers are funding these deferred contracts from baseball revenue is very cute, very funny and mostly very silly. The money they use comes from the $350 billion piggy bank owned by the Guggenheim Partners. They just lend themselves the money, fund the escrow and then use to invest, business as usual, and profit off of their players pay and pocket the capital gains. They’re not putting a single dollar of baseball revenue profit into the deferred contracts. That’s the whole point of what the Dodgers/Guggenheim and Mets/72Point are doing that the other teams can’t do.
From the Athletic, Feb 2, 2026:
“The Dodgers’ front office and ownership group out-earns, out-spends, out-maneuvers, out-develops, out-scouts, out-analyzes and out-R&Ds every team in baseball. It has created what could be the greatest dynasty in modern MLB history. The Dodgers have the top 26-man roster, the top 40-man roster and one of the best farm systems in the entire sport. They bring in record-breaking revenue, but give it right back to the fans by spending on players. They have become a model organization with a global reach.”
Padres probably want to either finalize the sale of the team or decide not to sell before extending Preller. Making him and the organization a package deal can’t help matters any. If the new owner wants to extend Preller then that’s their business.
There is no surprise Lovullo doesn’t have a long term deal in place. D-backs upper management have been straight up with him. It’s their M.O. When you are in the same division as the pathetic Dodgers, there isn’t much you can do except keep the same chemistry..
As a Dodgers fan, Lovullo seems to have done an above average job there. If they don’t resign him or he gets fired, he wouldn’t be out in the market for long.
That’s Moreno for you. He’s always so far out ahead of the other teams.
Wow maybe Detroit will get rid of Harris if they underperform this season! He absolutely blew a great season last year with his deadline acquisitions, that was pathetic.
Why are the Orioles on this list?
A’s gm is not under contract???
I think that there are better options than Marmol , he does not impress me at all, the only decent season the Cards had with him as manager was when he had Skip Schumacher to tell him what to do.
“Previous Miami GM Kim Ng was signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season, and the Marlins chose to pass on that option…”
Uh, Ng declined her end of a mutual option for 2024 rather than stay on for what would have been a functional demotion with the Marlins hiring a new executive who would have been her superior.
The Marlins accepted their end of Ng’s 2024 mutual option.
espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38671694/kim-ng-marlins-ge…
Um, Kim Ng was not dismissed. She chose not to opt in from her side of the mutual option. Peter Bendix was brought in as POBO – not GM.
Amazing how blunders like this are done with the Marlins. But when it comes to the pop culture/clickbait teams, you guys know the correct information about those teams’ grounds crew, janitorial staff, beer persons, etc. But with the teams like the Marlins, you can’t even report correctly on their Front Office jobs.