Skip Schumaker will not return as Miami manager in 2025, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. His tenure with the Fish ends after two seasons.

The Marlins announced during Friday night’s win over the Blue Jays that Schumaker would be returning home to attend to a family health matter. Reserve coach Luis Urueta will be interim coach for the final two games of the season, tweets Isaac Azout of Fish on First. Passan writes that Schumaker informed Miami players after today’s game that he would not be back next season.

That shouldn’t have been such a big surprise to anyone in the squad. Schumaker has apparently been on his way from South Florida for months. Former general manager Kim Ng hired Schumaker – who had been a reserve coach in St. Louis – to replace Don Mattingly for the 2023 season. He had originally signed a two-year contract with a club option through 2025. When the Marlins and Ng parted ways last offseason, Schumaker reportedly expressed frustration with the direction of the organization. The Marlins therefore agreed to waive the ’25’ option, giving the 44-year-old the chance to pursue other opportunities after this season.

The front office shakeup came just weeks after Miami surprisingly punched its ticket to the postseason. The Fish overcame a negative run differential, won 84 games and secured a Wild Card berth in 2023. While they were swept by Philadelphia in the first round, the unexpected postseason berth earned Schumaker the NL’s Manager of the Year award in his debut season. It was the team’s first playoff appearance in a 162-game schedule since its 2003 World Series title.

Still, owner Bruce Sherman was unhappy with the organization’s recent mistakes in the draft and some ill-fated free agent moves (e.g Avisaíl Garcia, Jean Segura). Sherman named former Rays GM Peter Bendix president of baseball operations, a move that would have relegated Ng to second place in the front office hierarchy. After Sherman informed Ng of his plans to hire a baseball ops president, she declined her part of a joint option and moved on.

Bendix never seemed confident that the Marlins could repeat last year’s success. The Fish had a quiet winter – their only free agent signing in the MLB was a $5 million rebounding flyer Tim Anderson – and seemed destined for further renovation. A disastrous 0-9 start sealed their fate within the first two weeks. Miami acted Luis Arraez At the beginning of May and a big deadline sell-off followed, in which most of their replacements were involved, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trevor Rogers, Josh Bell And Bryan De La Cruz. Without a devastating series of rotational injuries, they probably would have ruined things even further. Jesus Luzardo And Braxton Garrett If they were healthy, they would have been clear trade candidates.

Bendix’s skepticism about its near-term prospects was borne out in this year’s results. The Fish lost 100 games for the fourth time in franchise history. They will finish with either the second or third worst record in the MLB. (They’re one game behind the Rockies at the bottom of the National League.) At the same time, it’s entirely unsurprising that Schumaker chose not to embark on a multi-year rebuild orchestrated by a new front office just a few months into leading the team became the playoffs.

There is likely to be great interest in Schumaker’s services. His overall record of 144-178 wasn’t great, but that’s far more a testament to this year’s squad than an indictment of his managerial skills. His work in 2023 received widespread praise. The White Sox and Reds have managerial vacancies after firing Pedro Grifol and David Bell, respectively. Schumaker was loosely linked to both jobs before his contract with the Marlins expired.

Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote a few weeks ago that he was one of the Sox’ top targets. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Friday that Schumaker and former Cubs captain David Ross are among the preliminary options being considered for the Reds’ front office. It is possible that additional positions will become available after the end of the regular season.

In Miami, Bendix begins his first managerial search as baseball operations manager. Management has likely been preparing for some time, no doubt aware of the likelihood of Schumaker’s departure. It’s the next opportunity for Bendix and his group to put their stamp on the franchise as they head into another year of rebuilding.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.