Star NL Manager Won't Return to Team, Hitting Free Agency This Winter (original) (raw)

Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will not return for the 2025 season. After two seasons as the Marlins' manager, Schumaker will not return and hit free agency this winter.

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According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Schumaker told the Marlins players he would not be back next season after their 15-5 victory against Toronto on Friday night. He also informed them that he would miss the team's final two games of the season.

Brian Snitker #43 of Atlanta Braves and Skip Schumaker #45 of the Miami Marlins talk before their game at Truist Park on August 02, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. This star NL manager will not... Brian Snitker #43 of Atlanta Braves and Skip Schumaker #45 of the Miami Marlins talk before their game at Truist Park on August 02, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. This star NL manager will not return to the team and will hit free agency this winter. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images

Schumaker addressed the media for the final time as manager.

"It meant a lot," Schumaker said. "It was emotional in there when we talked when I addressed the team. It was emotional because you care so much, and I think the players know if it's bullcrap or not by how you speak and how you address people. They know there's no fluff. They know that we all care, and that's what you signed up for. You only care if there's really good dudes in that clubhouse, and there are. There are some really good people inside that clubhouse.

"The game is the game. The stuff that you build during a season or after the season and for years to come is what matters the most. So I'll keep in contact with all these guys because of what they did to me and for me just in today's meeting. We're really grateful for all the relationships that we built throughout the couple years."

Two-time All-Star pitcher Sandy Alcántara told Marc Craig of The Athletic how things transpired.

"He gave us the confidence to change our whole mentality,"Alcántara said. "What Skip did last year was a lot different than the many years I've been here. Everything changed, the culture, the environment in the locker room. We were more together."

Alcántara missed the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Schumaker joined the Marlins in 2023, led the team to an 83-78 record, and earned a spot in the National League Wild Card round. The Marlins got swept by the Philadelphia Phillies 2-0.

Schumaker also earned NL Manager of the Year honors.

Schumaker isn't the only one who left the organization early. Marlins general manager Kim Ng, who was also instrumental in the unexpected postseason berth, resigned in Oct. 2023 after the team considered hiring a president of baseball operations over her.

With Ng gone, who hired Schumaker in 2022, the pivot toward a deep teardown under her replacement, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, is inevitable. Schumaker's contract had a club option for the 2025 season.

Now, with Schumaker on the block, he is the top managerial candidate available this offseason. It has not been a fun season for Miami and Schumaker. Miami currently sits at 60-100 and struggled all season long to find their groove. What a difference a year makes.

Overall, Schumaker tallied a 144-178 record as the Marlins manager.

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