2 Former Dodgers Among Candidates For Managerial Opening: Report

“I’ve heard, and I believe, they are real candidates for the job,” Heyman said in an appearance on MLB Network Thursday.

Ross, 48, was drafted by the Dodgers in 1998 and backed up Paul Lo Duca from 2002-04. That kicked off a journeyman career that saw Ross play for seven teams over 15 seasons, culminating in a surprising World Series run with the Cubs in 2016.

Ross succeeded Joe Maddon as the Cubs' manager in 2020. But after four seasons and no postseason wins, he was let go in favor of Craig Counsell after the 2023 season.

“I think the Baltimore people like him very much,” Heyman said.

Schumaker, 45, played one season in Los Angeles (2013), mostly in a utility role on Don Mattingly's bench. He retired after two more seasons in a similar role with the Cincinnati Reds, then took his first (and only) manager's job with the Miami Marlins in 2023.

The Marlins made a stunning run to an NL Wild Card berth in Schumaker's first year. But he left a year later, after the Marlins switched general managers, and resurfaced as Bruce Bochy's senior advisor with the Texas Rangers.

As Heyman notes, “it seems like he’s the manager-in-waiting” in Texas.

In the cases of both Ross and Schumaker, their departures from their last (and first) jobs seemed hasty.

Ross inherited a top-5 payroll in 2020, and that was the only season the Cubs won a division title under his watch. Chicago dropped out of the top-10 in Opening Day payroll for each of the next three years, according to Cots. Ross' results directly mirrored ownership's investment in the Cubs' major league roster.

The Marlins' 84-win season under Schumaker and third-year GM Kim Ng caught MLB by surprise. So too did Ng's resignation after the season; it reportedly set in motion Schumaker's own exit.

Schumaker won the 2023 National League Manager of the Year Award. Ross finished third for the award in 2020. If their next opportunity to manage doesn't come in Baltimore, it should come somewhere.