MLB Postseason Buzz: Nationals Hire Youngest MLB Manager in 50-Plus Years

Does it feel warm in here to you? 

The Dodgers and the Blue Jays are battling in the World Series, but the offseason hot stove is raring to go. While we await the Fall Classic, we’re keeping track of players who may be on the move, manager comings and goings, and other buzz from around the majors.

Nats find new manager

Washington is hiring Tampa Bay Rays Senior Director of Player Development Blake Butera to be its new manager, per ESPN. The 33-year-old Butera is the youngest MLB manager in over 50 years. Butera was with the Rays’ franchise as a manager in the minor-league ranks from 2018-22 – entering the job at just age 25 as the minor’s youngest manager, before changing roles in the organization – and was a player in the system beforehand. 

The Nationals haven’t had a winning record or made the playoffs since winning the 2019 World Series. Butera is replacing interim manager Miguel Cairo, who in turn filled in for Dave Martinez, who had been the Nationals’ manager since 2018 before his 2025 dismissal.

Twins Set to Hire Shelton

The Minnesota Twins have picked former bench coach Derek Shelton as their new manager, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. 

Shelton served as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates for five-plus years with an overall record of 306-440 before he was fired on May 8, just 40 games into this season. The 55-year-old was the bench coach for the Twins in 2018 and 2019 under two different managers, Paul Molitor and Rocco Baldelli. With the under-funded Pirates, Shelton never finished higher than fourth place in the NL Central or better than 76-86.

Baldelli was fired the day after the regular season ended with a 527-505 record over seven years, plus 3-8 in the postseason. The Twins won three AL Central titles under Baldelli, including their 101-61 finish in 2019 when the rookie skipper won the AL Manager of the Year award, but they made the playoffs only once in his last five seasons.

Padres interview Pujols again

The Padres are that much closer to replacing the retired Mike Shildt as manager, as they entered their second round of interviews on Tuesday. Albert Pujols was interviewed “for several hours,” according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Per the New York Post, San Diego has interviewed Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, Rangers executive and former Padres catcher Nick Hundley, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Padres scout and former Mariners manager Scott Servais and Padres third base coach Brian Esposito are all candidates for the job. The Union-Tribune confirmed Esposito and Niebla, though, neither report is clear on who else besides Pujols advanced to the second round.

While Pujols has not managed in the majors or minors, he is set to manage the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and managed Leones de Escogido in the Dominican Republic, which won both Dominican League and Caribbean League titles in the past year.

The Angels had prioritized Pujols in their manager search at first, before the two sides reportedly disagreed on far too much about the role to make the relationship work: the New York Post reported that Pujols and the Angels had differing opinions on “coaches, resources and compensation”. Pujols is currently under contract with Los Angeles as part of a post-playing-career “personal services” deal that has him in a special assistant role.

Nationals won’t bring interim manager Cairo back

Washington Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo, who replaced the fired Dave Martinez in July, will not get the job on a permanent basis, and members of his coaching staff are being let go, too, a person with knowledge of the moves told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing had been announced about Washington’s plans for its on-field leadership next season.

The changes include the departures of pitching coach Jim Hickey, hitting coach Darnell Coles, bullpen coach Ricky Bones, first-base coach Gerardo Parra and third base coach Ricky Gutierrez.

The Washington Post first reported that Cairo and the coaches would not stay in their positions.

Word of the overhaul comes less than a month after Paul Toboni was introduced as the Nationals’ new president of baseball operations, replacing Mike Rizzo.

Harper on trade chatter? ‘Makes me feel uncomfortable’ 

Bryce Harper didn’t like how the Phillies season ended, and he certainly doesn’t like any talk about any potential big changes in Philadelphia. 

The Phillies superstar slugger helped the team to the NL East title, but they fell short in their pursuit of their first World Series title since 2008.

Harper, who missed time with a wrist injury, hit 27 homers in 132 games while posting an .844 OPS in 2025 – his lowest mark since 2016.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told the Athletic. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Harper is six seasons into his 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies, which he signed before the 2019 season.

All players get hurt,” Harper said. “I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course, I don’t have full-year numbers.”

The comments come weeks after Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski discussed what he thought about his star player’s performances. 

“Of course, he’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said Oct. 16. “He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good. … Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer.

“And, again, it wasn’t a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you’re thinking elite, right? You’re thinking of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think it fit into that category. But, again, a very good player. I have no idea. I’ve seen guys at his age — again he’s not old — that level off. Or I’ve seen guys rise again. We’ll see what happens.”

Angels tab new manager

The Angels are hiring a former player of theirs to be their next manager after all. Kurt Suzuki and the Angels have agreed to a deal to make him the team’s next manager, according to multiple reports.

Suzuki, who was an MLB catcher for 16 seasons, ended his playing career with the Angels, spending two seasons there before retiring at the end of the 2022 season. He remained with the ballclub after his retirement, working as a special assistant to general manager Perry Minasian since 2023.

Prior to Suzuki’s hire, Albert Pujols was viewed as the frontrunner to get the Angels’ manager job. The former star slugger and the Angels reportedly had disagreements during contract talks that were too sizable to agree to a deal.

The Angels have the longest active non-playoff appearance streak, failing to reach the postseason since 2014. Suzuki will be tabbed to try and change that, but he’ll have to try and do so with a team that hasn’t won 80 games in a season since 2018.

Ron Washington was the Angels’ manager for the last two seasons, stepping down after health issues sidelined him for the second half of the 2025 season. 

Albert Pujols might have new destination

There had been reports that Albert Pujols was a favorite for the open managerial position of the Angels, but according to ESPN, that’s no longer the case. Instead, Pujols is set to interview for the same job with the Padres on Wednesday. Previous manager Mike Shildt retired from the position earlier in October, putting San Diego in the market for a new manager.

Per ESPN, two of the Padres’ stars – Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado – hold Pujols “in high regard.” The future Hall of Fame slugger is currently under contract with the Angels in the portion of his contract triggered by his retirement: Pujols is heading into four year of a 10-year special services contract that keeps him in the employ of the Angels. Los Angeles gave the Padres permission to interview him for their managerial opening.

The New York Post reported that Pujols and the Angels had differing opinions on “coaches, resources and compensation,” leading to the end of the possibility that he would manage them in 2026.

While Pujols has not managed in MLB or its minor leagues, he did serve as manager for Leones de Escogido in the Dominican Republic, which won both Dominican League and Caribbean League titles with him at the helm this past year, and is set to manage the Dominican in the 2026 World Baseball Classic as well.

The Milwaukee Brewers are expected to “at least field offers” for their ace, according to The Athletic. Peralta, a two-time All-Star, is a free agent after the 2026 MLB season. In the 2025 regular season, Peralta posted a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 5.5 WAR and 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings pitched (33 starts). Across three postseason starts, the long-time Milwaukee right-hander posted a 4.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched (three starts). Milwaukee, which won an MLB-best 97 games in the regular season, was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. 

The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to release Castellanos if they can’t trade him this coming offseason, per The Athletic. Castellanos, who will be 34 at the start of the 2026 season, is entering the final season of a five-year, $100 million deal. The right fielder totaled 17 home runs and 72 RBIs in the 2025 regular season, while posting a .250/.294/.400 slash line; he went 2-for-15 in the postseason.

Yankees superstar outfielder Aaron Judge won’t need surgery for his injured elbow, but shortstop Anthony Volpe (shoulder) and left-hander Carlos Rodon (elbow) had surgery for their respective injuries, manager Aaron Boone announced on Oct. 16. Those surgeries could potentially keep Volpe and Rodon out of commission past Opening Day of next season. New York, which won 94 games this season, was eliminated by the AL East-rival Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Division Series.

Red Sox’s Bregman to opt out

Boston Red Sox All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman is set to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this offseason, per a report from the New York Post. The 31-year-old inked a three-year, $120 million contract in spring training that included opt-outs after each season.

Bregman earned his third All-Star nod in his first season in Boston, slashing .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. A quad strain limited Bregman to 114 games played, but the 10-year veteran is expected to have plenty of suitors, though a return to Boston is also reportedly still on the table.

Tigers pledge to spend, keep Skubal

Detroit Tigers general manager Scott Harris said he extended manager A.J. Hinch’s contract during the 2025 season and insisted ownership will provide the resources necessary to sign ace Tarik Skubal to a long-term deal. 

Harris declined to say how long Hinch is under contract.

“We want him to be here as long as he’s willing to be here,” Harris said. “I want to work with him as long as I can possibly work with him.”

Skubal signed a $10.15 million, one-year contract during the last offseason — avoiding salary arbitration — and he’s set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. He won the AL Cy Young Award and was the league’s pitching Triple Crown winner in 2024. He followed that with a career-low 2.21 ERA and a career-high 241 strikeouts and is the front runner to repeat as winner.

Harris insisted team owner Chris Ilitch will support the organization with what is needed for payroll, including what it would take to keep the 28-year-old lefty long term.

“I have no concerns about that,” Harris said.

Teams needing new skippers

Eight teams are now looking for new managers – including the Padres, who just made the postseason. Which of these gigs seem most enticing?
 

Shildt moving on from Padres

Mike Shildt is retiring after two seasons as the San Diego Padres’ manager.

The Padres confirmed the 57-year-old Shildt’s decision Monday. In a letter to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Shildt said he is retiring because “the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally.”

Shildt went 183-141 and led San Diego to two postseason appearances during his brief tenure.

Bellinger to test free agency

A recent report stated that the New York Yankees outfielder is expected to opt out of his contract for next season and become a free agent. While Bellinger’s first season with the Yankees was a plausible one (29 home runs, 98 RBIs and a .272/.334/.480 slash line) and a long-term pact would make sense for both sides, fellow outfielder Trent Grisham – who hit a career-high 34 home runs this season – is also a free agent. 

Schwarber, Realmuto deflect Phillies future talk

Phillies slugger Klye Schwarber fought back tears after their Game 4 loss to the Dodgers in the NLDS as he pondered not only the end of the season but his crucial offseason decision.

“You just make a lot of different relationships in the clubhouse,” Schwarber said. “You don’t know how it’s going to work out. You just make so many personal relationships with these guys … They become family. You just never know. These guys all know how I feel about them. This is a premier organization and a lot of people should be very lucky that, one, you’re playing for a team that tries to win every single year and you have a fan base that cares and ownership that cares.”

Schwarber is expected to be one of the premier free agents in the offseason, having hit a career-high 56 homers this season.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was even more frank about his offseason decision: “I’m not here to talk about free agency, dude. Don’t ask that question right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to these reports.

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