'Just an embarrassment:' Major League Baseball managers are grossly underpaid
LOS ANGELES − They are the face of the franchise.
They’re the voice of the team, the representative of the organizational brand, the messenger to their fanbase, the ones who ultimately are responsible for the actions of every player who puts on a uniform.
They are the Major League Baseball managers.
There are 30 of them, and not a single one escapes the constant abuse, scorn, ridicule and second-guessing.
They also have something else in common that’s an embarrassment to the sport.
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They are grossly underpaid.
It was 15 years ago when Joe Torre was earning $7.5 million a year as manager.
This season, the winningest manager in Los Angeles Dodgers history, Dave Roberts isn’t even making half that salary at $3.25 million.
Brian Snitker won Atlanta’s first World Series in 26 years in 2021. His salary that season? $1.2 million.
There are six managers this year earning less than $1 million and 15 managers earning $1.75 million or less.
If those same managers went to college baseball, they’d get a pay raise, with 10 collegiate managers earning $1.2 million or more , according to USA TODAY Sports’ research, with Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin topping the list at $2.47 million.
"That’s just an embarrassment," one MLB manager said. "How can the college coaches be making more than us? It’s just wrong. No wonder guys are leaving our game and going to the college ranks."
Oh, and don’t even get managers started comparing their salaries to collegiate football coaches.
Alabama coach Nick Saban is earning nearly three times the salary of future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers with his $11.4 million salary. Dabo Swinney of Clemson has a 10-year, $115 million contract. Why, 25 head college coaches earn in excess of $6 million, about twice the amount of World Series champion Dusty Baker’s contract.
"What’s going on is the sabermetric boys are taking away from our salaries," one manager said, "because they think they can manage."
While MLB had a record $10.8 billion in revenue this past season, manager salaries have plummeted by 50%, according to agents who represent managers.
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"I can not think of an industry in this country," said one veteran agent, "where their CEO, CFO, president or whatever has their salary go down by 50%."
There are only six managers in the game who are scheduled to earn at least $3 million in 2024, led by Padres manager Bob Melvin’s $4 million salaries, according to USA TODAY’s research: Bochy, Melvin, Buck Showalter (fired), Dave Martinez, Roberts and Alex Cora.
Managers are losing leverage every year. If they ask for a nice raise, and the teams resist, they’ll threaten to find someone else who’ll take the job. If a rookie manager is hired, they’re supposed to be grateful just to have a job, even if they’re earning less than the major-league player minimum of $800,000.
"These young managers will accept almost anything," one manager said, "just to get on the pension program."
It leaves Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell with the responsibility of raising managerial salaries once he signs a new contract.
Counsell, who’s the hottest managerial free agent when his contract expires Oct. 31, earned $3.5 million last season with the Brewers.
He knows he was severely undervalued, and would like to be paid accordingly, if not with the Brewers, somewhere else.
He should get a bump in pay to at least $5 million a year, if not at least $6 million. If the Brewers don’t want to pay it, there’s a certain team in Queens, N.Y., that will.
Counsell definitely wants to keep managing, and most likely will stay put in Milwaukee with the New York hype being overblown, but friends say it is important to him to help reverse the course of managerial salaries.
If teams want their managers to take all of the hits, if they want their managers to take all of the blame when the front-office decisions go terribly astray (yes, we’re talking about Blue Jays manager John Schneider for simply following the script of their analytics department taking out Jose Berrios in Game 2 against the Minnesota Twins), then it’s time for teams to start paying them what they’re worth.
Oh, and while you’re at it, can you let these guys manage too?
Can you let them make out their own lineup cards?
Can you not script every little thing before the game starts?
"When you're managing against certain teams and certain people," Baker said, "you're managing more against the computer than you are that person."
And when those decisions go wrong, hey, who ever blames a computer?
Besides, you don’t have to pay a computer, and as teams are proving, they’re not paying that computer operator a whole lot either.
"I call them drone operators," one manager said, "a human joystick for some of these front offices. They take away their dignity, and now their money. It’s a damn shame."
Baseball parity at its best
There may be a massive disparity in payrolls in baseball, but as teams proved this year, money hardly buys success, let alone happiness.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles lost 110 games just two years ago, and despite having two of the smallest payrolls in the game, they’re in the division series playoffs. The Cincinnati Reds nearly joined them after losing 100 games last year.
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Meanwhile, the New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Diego Padres are sitting home with their fat payrolls.
Baseball parity has finally arrived.
"I think what we saw this year was probably the most end-to-end competitive season that baseball's had in a while," Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. "There were a lot of teams like us in our situation. The amount of teams that were competing, I think that's only going to continue going into the offseason. I think you're going to see almost every single team going out there with a chance to win."
And, certainly, the expanded playoffs helps teams believe they have a shot, with the Diamondbacks qualifying for their first postseason berth since 2017 with just 84 victories.
"Having the extra wild card," Hazen said, "was a huge separator for us. Couple of years ago, we won 85 games in '19, we didn't make the playoffs. Now we won 84 games and we made the playoffs. That carrot is now going to be out there for so many more clubs, and I think it's great for the game."
You may not have to spend the big bucks, but if you’re athletic, with the rules changes rewarding speed, you’ve got a chance to win.
"The style of play, the young players, the athleticism, the speed … there's an exciting brand right now in baseball," D'backs president and CEO Derrick Hall said. "The teams that are turning the page and making the next step are showing the same sort of style, with the speed and athleticism and youth. I think it's been a lot of fun for our fans to experience it."
What did he just say?
The Seattle Mariners’ fans rejoiced when catcher Cal Raleigh told reporters after being eliminated: "We’ve got to commit to winning … sometimes you’ve got to go out and buy."
Jerry Dipoto, Mariners president of baseball operations, responded in his season-ending press conference by saying, "We’re actually doing the fan base a favor by asking for their patience to win the World Series."
Well, you can guess the fans’ reaction.
Complete disgust and outrage.
Dipoto apologized the next day on his weekly radio show, Seattle Sports 710-AM.
"I’m generally embarrassed by the way, at least, that comment and especially one other was received," Dipoto said. "I’ve been doing this job, or roles like this, for a long time now and I’ve made mistakes. I’ve made my fair share, like most do. This was kind of one of those times. I just did a poor job of illustrating the points that I was trying to make."
Dipoto was referencing to his comment of justifying the Mariners’ lack of postseason appearances. They’ve been in the playoffs just once in 22 years, and have never made the World Series.
Around the basepaths
≻ There’s not a soul in the industry that believes Mets GM Billy Eppler simply resigned over MLB’s investigation of improper use of the injured list. This has been an ongoing practice by front offices for decades, and there hasn’t been a single warning given to teams, according to one high-ranking official.
The punishment for first-time offenders is nothing more than a wrist slap, not resigning from one of the best jobs in baseball, and perhaps out of the game forever.
The investigation originally started from an anonymous letter inside the Mets organization accusing Eppler of misconduct. MLB is expected to examine cell phones, text messages, e-mails and medical reports of Mets’ officials, while also speaking to players.
≻ The Diamondbacks had entered negotiations months ago with GM Mike Hazen before signing him to a five-year contract extension, but talks accelerated after the Boston Red Sox fired Chaim Bloom. Still, Hazen already told D'backs president Derrick Hall that he did not want to leave the organization. He’s raising four sons by himself after his wife, Nicole, died last year after battling brain cancer.
"They all love Arizona," Hazen says. "We love the community we have here, the family we have here. I told (Hall) I'm not going anywhere. I want to be here. We need to get something done. We want to get something done."
≻ Will Venable, associate manager of the Texas Rangers, is considered by several executives as the favorite to replace Terry Francona as the Cleveland Guardians manager.
≻ While Joey Votto wants to continue his career, the Cincinnati Reds have no intention of picking up his $20 million option and instead will pay a $7 million buyout, with hopes renegotiating a lower salary.
≻ Miami Marlins first-base coach Jon Jay drew rave reviews this year and is expected to be a potential candidate for several managerial openings.
≻ Buck Showalter, fired last week by the Mets, was Billy Eppler’s first choice to manage the Angels, before Angels owner Arte Moreno opted for Joe Maddon. He now is under consideration in Anaheim again with GM Perry Minasian, who worked with Showalter in Texas.
≻ Joe Maddon wants to manage again, and is telling friends he’d love to manage the Mets, and is hoping to at least interview for the opening.
≻ Teams fully expect that Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso will be made available this winter, particularly after Alonso switched agencies to Scott Boras. Boras historically has kept his clients from signing an extension when close to free agency. Alonso is expected to earn $22 million in his final year of arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ projections.
≻ The Tampa Bay Rays were among the teams who were aggressively seeking Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline, and were willing to offer three of their top 10 prospects, including top prospect Junior Caminero.
≻ Awfully cool scene in the Minnesota Twins clubhouse watching them celebrate the end of their 21-year streak of failing to win a postseason series, with special assistant LaTroy Hawkins, a member of that 2002 Twins’ team, watching from the back of the room and taking video.
“This is such a special feeling for all us,’’ Hawkins said. “It’s been such a long time. I can’t be more proud of this group. They’re making their own mark now.’’
≻ Matt Klentak, former GM of the Philadelphia Phillies, has emerged as a candidate for the Mets’ GM opening along with former Houston Astros GM James Click, who’s working for the Toronto Blue Jays.
≻ Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten definitely deserves to be on the Contemporary Baseball Era Hall of Fame ballot this winter and inducted next summer in Cooperstown. As Atlanta’s president, Kasten oversaw 14 consecutive division titles, five pennants and a World Series while overseeing the Dodgers’ glorious run of 11 consecutive postseason appearances.
Fellow executives Walt Jocketty and Doug Melvin could also be on the Hall of Fame ballot, along with former managers Lou Piniella and Jim Leyland, and former umpire Joe West.
≻ While Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said in his season wrap-up press conference that removing Jose Berrios was strictly manager John Schneider’s idea, Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi was informed before the game to be ready to pitch in the fourth inning. This is why he began loosening up in the second inning.
≻ Miami Marlins rookie manager Skip Schumaker certainly made a huge difference in the team’s fortunes this year, with his players saying he was the MVP of their team.
"He came in and he showed us what it was like to win," outfielder Jazz Chisholm told the Miami Herald. "None of us have really been through that, especially in this organization. Knowing what it takes to win, knowing what to do to win … they showed us how to play the game. And I feel like everybody’s excited to come back next year and do it again."
≻ Attention all agents: The Detroit Tigers suddenly have $50 million at their disposal with the retirement of Miguel Cabrera and the expected opt-out of Eduardo Rodriguez.
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