With just over a week separating us from Opening Day, we’re seeing rosters start to take shape as teams make their cuts and send promising prospects off to their minor league assignments.
There are a great deal of teams that have the potential to make a run at a championship in 2013, but some other teams aren’t quite so lucky.
Another losing season in certain cities might simply mean disappointment for their fanbases, but in the case of the managers, it could mean unemployment this October.
With the size of coaching staffs in every major league dugout and in minor league organizations all over the country, there is never a shortage of candidates to take over if someone is handed their walking papers, but this year’s World Baseball Classic may have provided us with the best option out there.
Tony Pena hasn’t been a manager since 2005 when he was at the helm of the Kansas City Royals, and though he’s currently the first base coach for the New York Yankees, he was seriously considered for an MLB managerial job as recently as a couple of years ago when the Boston Red Sox ultimately hired Bobby Valentine.
Leading his team to a perfect 8-0 record, Pena paced the Dominican Republic to its first WBC championship, impressing many along the way and fueling the notion that he could once again be in line for a managerial gig in the near future.
A move wouldn’t likely take place during the season, but here are a few teams that could be in need of some help once the winter arrives.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Angels front office has been busy over the past two years, as the signings of C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols marked the highlight of the 2011 offseason, and the addition of Zack Greinke at last summer’s trade deadline
Those moves wouldn’t be enough for manager Mike Scioscia and the Angels, as the team missed the postseason and was sent back to the drawing board this past winter.
They lost Greinke and Torii Hunter to free agency, though the addition of Josh Hamilton to the outfield will certainly go a long way toward ensuring a strong 2013 roster.
Should they fail to live up to their once-again-lofty expectations, however, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see Scioscia on the chopping block.
Bringing Pena (or any other manager for that matter) into the fold wouldn’t be an easy task for GM Jerry Dipoto no matter how you look at it. Scioscia is under contract through the 2018 season, and even though he could opt out after 2015, the notion of anyone else at the helm could be a pipe dream
Minnesota Twins
Until recently, the Twins and skipper Ron Gardenhire were considered one of the most successful small-market teams in baseball with a consistently competitive team in the AL Central, all while boasting one of the league’s lowest payrolls.
That all changed a few years ago when they handed Joe Mauer a $184 million contract, pushing the team’s payroll over $100 million as the Twins christened their brand new stadium.
It’s been a struggle since for the Twins, however, as the team has narrowly missed the 100-loss mark in each of the past two seasons while finishing last in the division.
Gardenhire has lost favor with much of the fanbase in Minnesota, and with 2013 marking the final season he’ll be under contract, it will seemingly take a miracle to see him back with the team in 2014.
Adding a manager like Pena to the mix would be somewhat atypical for the organization, as it tends to promote from within, though his ability to work with players in a firm but fair fashion may sit well as the Twins rebuild for the future with a number of prospects set to make a jump to the majors in the coming years.
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