John Schneider’s expected Blue Jays replacement emerges if he’s fired

The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the more disappointing teams in MLB so far this season holding an 18-22 record after losing two out of three to the Minnesota Twins at home this weekend, and this potentially puts manager John Schneider on the hot seat, which makes the attention turn to bench coach Don Mattingly, who has plenty of managerial experience.

“If the Blue Jays continue to struggle, and Schneider is the scapegoat, his replacement is expected to be Don Mattingly,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today said.

It is a logical fallback option if the Blue Jays decide they need a chance. Mattingly managed both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins in his career. It would be a surprise if he was not interested in returning to that role at some point.

The Blue Jays have made in-season moves at manager in recent years too. After struggling in the early parts of the 2022 season, Toronto fired manager Charlie Montoyo. That is how Schneider landed the managerial job with the Blue Jays as well. He was initially the interim manager, but eventually took over as the full-time manager, which leads to him being on the hot seat today.

There is still time for the Blue Jays to turn things around in the early going, as we are not even halfway through the month of May, but if this continues to snowball or get even worse, a change in the dugout leadership could be in store, just like it was in 2022 when Charlie Montoyo was dismissed. This time around, the Blue Jays might even have a more attractive option at bench coach if they decide to move on from Schneider.

Don Mattingly’s managerial career