Two of the alternatives for Brian Snitker never played for the Braves, and one did.

When Snitker’s contract expires, the Braves may let him go, leaving Atlanta in search of a new manager.

For the past few years, the front office, coaching staff, and roster of the Atlanta Braves have all been stable. For the past few years, they have ruled big league baseball like a well-oiled machine. However, 2024 appears to be distinct. The roster has been completely devastated by injuries, and things only grow worse. After the upcoming season, Snitker’s contract ends, and MLB Insider Jon Heyman has conjectured that he may give up managing. That’s merely conjectural though for now.

If Snitker does move on, we need to stay up to date on some of the best candidates to take over, looking at both the candidates that have direct connections to Atlanta and those that don’t.

3. Former Braves coach Ron Washington would be a great candidate to bring back

Last offseason, the Braves lost one of their most respected coaches, Ron Washington, as Washington went off to restart his managing career with the Los Angeles Angels. The legendary coach broke the hearts of many in Atlanta when he made this announcement, but Braves players and fans couldn’t help but be happy that he was continuing his managing career a decade after the last time he was a skipper.

Now, with Snitker potentially looking to retire from baseball, the Braves could look to form a reunion with Washington a lot earlier than expected. If Snitker is actually on the way out, Washington would fit perfectly back in the Braves dugout.

2. Mark DeRosa, a seven-year Braves veteran, may begin his managerial career with the team. MLB Analyst Mark DeRosa is one manager with a connection to the Braves but very little experience managing. Zack Meisel brought up DeRosa as a possible manager during the Athletic Staff’s offseason discussion about potential managers.

“DeRosa, 48, managed Team USA in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year, his first professional coaching experience,” Meisel stated. “During his 16-year big-league career, the University of Pennsylvania product was traded to eight different teams. The Braves were his team for his first seven seasons.” DeRosa’s inexperience would obviously be a risk with this kind of agreement, even though he did lead Team USA to a silver medal in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. However, that might be just what the Braves require. Their youthful and dynamic play style has allowed them to dominate baseball despite being a young club. It might just work out nicely for them to go out and find an analyst under 50 to manage their team.

1. The manager of the Marlins Although Skip Schumaker was never a Braves player, he would make an excellent manager. Skip Schumaker, the manager of the Miami Marlins, is arguably the most sought-after manager available. Although Schumaker lacks the experience of managers like Terry Francona and Joe Maddon, he more than makes up for it with his old-fashioned style of playing the game. Schumaker led a Marlins team to the postseason last season even though they had no business being there. Just that accomplishment has earned him a great deal of respect in the league.

The young and energetic Braves roster needs a young and energetic manager to lead them. Schumaker could be the manager that takes over in Atlanta and leads them to multiple World Series championships over the next decade. The fit is pretty ideal for Schumaker and the Braves.