Rangers eyeing Schumaker for manager, and other takeaways from end-of-season presser

ARLINGTON -- All signs point toward Skip Schumaker becoming the Rangers’ next manager, but the search process has not been finalized yet, president of baseball operations Chris Young said during an end-of-season news conference Friday at Globe Life Field.

Young and general manager Ross Fenstermaker spent a good portion of the nearly hour-long session discussing the managerial opening after the team mutually parted ways with Bruce Bochy on Monday.

“We have a lead candidate internally that we’re focused on,” Young said during his opening comments. “I really can’t elaborate beyond that in terms of where we are. Hopefully it’ll materialize and we’ll have updates in the coming days.”

Young said the team does not plan to explore external options for its opening as of now. As far as Schumaker is concerned, it’s clear how quickly he’s made his presence felt in the organization.

“Skip is very involved,” Fenstermaker said. “He was around and available a lot. We probably talked to him every few days, if not daily, throughout the course of the year. [We] bounced ideas off him, got his perspective, so he was very involved in an advisory role this year.”

Schumaker, who was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year with the Marlins, joined the Rangers last November as a senior advisor to Young. The 45-year-old Schumaker is regarded as one of the best young managers in the game, but with only three openings last offseason – the White Sox, the Reds and the Marlins job he departed – he opted to join the Rangers’ front office. There are more openings this offseason, although Young said he’s not “overly concerned” about other teams pursuing Schumaker.

Young said Schumaker is under contract through the end of October and declined to specify whether other organizations searching for managers have asked permission to speak with him. Instead, Young talked about the process the organization has gone through over the last week and the positive discussions he’s had with Schumaker to date.

Asked what questions Schumaker has had about the role, Young spoke broadly in saying: “His questions have been about … preferences on communication style and day-to-day transactions and some of the logistics that come along with the front office and manager relationship.”

In the end, Young is excited about how the process has unfolded and believes a new voice will help lead the organization to another World Series. However, Young made it clear as he spoke of what he wanted out of the next manager that it was by no means a criticism of Bochy. Quite simply, the organization is in a different spot today compared to three years ago.

“The reality is, with a younger team, we’re probably going to need a voice that’s full of energy, that’s hands-on, that’s really working and coaching during the day, out on the field, and establishing relationships throughout the team,” Young said. “Internal management, being able to communicate with the front office, with coaches, and setting clear expectations and standards.

“With the youth of next year’s team, [development] is going to be really important. Development doesn’t stop at the big league level. In fact, it’s probably the most critical part of development. A lot of players come up here and struggle initially, and it takes time to get them to the point where they can contribute. It’s going to be really important for the next manager to have experience with younger players in terms of finishing off that development.”

Those are boxes that Schumaker seems to check. As Young said, a decision could materialize in the coming days.

Other takeaways from the news conference:

• Young said the entire coaching staff is in good standing and all could be welcomed back, although those decisions will ultimately be made after a new manager is hired. Young had positive things to say about every coach, including pitching coach Mike Maddux. Young would like Maddux to stay with the organization, whether it’s in the dugout or in another capacity. “We need him in the organization to help advance our pitching,” he said.

• What next year’s payroll will look like remains unclear, although Young said it will be below the competitive balance tax threshold. Asked his message to fans who feel that a reduced payroll will mean the Rangers won't be competitive next season, Young said: “Our payroll is still going to be at a level that is on par with teams that are in the playoffs and even higher than some of the teams in the playoffs. My very frank answer is, if other organizations are doing it with less money, we can too.”

• Young praised the pitching and defense in his opening comments, while acknowledging that offensive production and injuries were lowlights in 2025. “Injuries are part of the game, but the offensive underperformance is something we have to correct moving forward,” Young said.

• Bochy has a standing offer to remain with the organization, although Young didn’t sound too confident that would happen. “We’re hopeful he’ll remain in the organization, but I’m guessing he’s going to have good [outside] options,” he said.

• In discussing whether the team would pursue a closer in free agency, Young mentioned possible internal candidates in Robert Garcia, Jacob Latz and Cole Winn. Young later said that Latz is also a potential rotation option. “We have to determine the best utilization of Jacob to help the team win,” Young said.

• As far as the future of arbitration-eligible players such as Adolis García and Jonah Heim, Young said there will be a decision-making process. “We haven’t determined anything as it relates to arbitration-eligible players,” he said.

• Asked about top prospect Sebastian Walcott (the No. 6 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline) making the big leagues next season, Young said the organization does not want to “rush” the process. “The hope is we can give him the time he needs to develop, and then he’ll knock the door down when he’s ready,” Young said. “When he does get here, he’s going to help us win.”