4 dream Blue Jays manager candidates to replace John Schneider if he is fired

With the Toronto Blue Jays off to a less-than-stellar start to the 2024 MLB season, there have been many rumblings that some major changes need to be made to get the team back in the right direction. Their offense had been sputtering, some of their pitchers have had unexpected underwhelming performances, and they have shown a lack of determination and fight at times during the course of the season. Whether it be potential moves at the player or management level, something needs to be done before the season spirals out of control.

Among them, one of the more possible scenarios that has arisen is having Jays manager John Schneider’s job on the line if things get any worse. If that indeed comes to fruition, who are the possible dream candidates that could replace him?

Here, we take a look at four managerial options that the Jays can pursue to get the team back to their winning ways if the Schneider guidance ends up failing.

Buck Showalter

For a veteran manager with over 22 years of managerial experience and a whopping 1727 wins under his belt, Buck Showalter would be an ideal candidate for the Blue Jays. More impressively, Showalter has produced 100-plus win seasons twice in his career, something the Jays have never accomplished in their 48 years of existence, with the 1985 season being the closest at 99-62.

Showalter most recently coached the New York Mets from 2022-2023. In 2022, he led the Mets to their first 100-win season since 1988 as they finished 101-61. However, despite the amazing feat, that was still not enough to win the NL East division title as the Atlanta Braves won the tiebreaker via their head-to-head record. As a result, the Mets had to play in the NL Wild Card Series and ended up losing to the San Diego Padres, ruining their outstanding season. Showalter was unable to replicate his success the following year as the Mets struggled to a 75-87 record, leading to his dismissal following the end of the 2023 season. Currently, he is working as an analyst for the MLB Network.

He has also previously managed the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles to varying degrees of success over the years. In total, Showalter helped capture three division titles, along with leading his squads to six postseason appearances. For the playoffs, he is most notably known for not bringing in star closer Zack Britton during the close match between the Orioles and Jays in the 2016 Wild Card game. Of course, as we all recall, the Jays ended up winning on Edwin Encarnación’s walk-off homer.