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Which MLB front offices, managers and teams are under the most pressure? Insiders weigh in

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Which MLB front offices, managers and teams are under the most pressure? Insiders weigh in

Here in the frozen north country, we feel more February heat from our toaster than from the sun. But that isn’t the kind of heat this column cares about right now.

The kind of heat that really matters in baseball these days is the heat being felt by the teams, front offices and managers that are under the most pressure to make 2025 the year — or else.

So who are those teams, front offices and managers? We asked that question of the 32 baseball executives, former executives, coaches and scouts who took part in our annual spring training preview survey. Let’s take a look at the teams they think are feeling the heat.

MARK SHAPIRO, ROSS ATKINS, JOHN SCHNEIDER AND THE BLUE JAYS (22 VOTES): From the day they called up Vlad Guerrero Jr. in 2019, it feels as if the Blue Jays have been on the clock. But six years and zero postseason wins later, this seems like the year the alarm goes off.

What are the odds they can extend Vlad before he cuts off contract talks on Tuesday and prepares to head for free agency? What happens if they can’t? What are the ripple effects on Bo Bichette and the still-talented cast around them? The rest of the baseball world is intently focused on all of that.

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What does it mean for the fate of a front office that feels haunted by all the stars it chased but couldn’t sign? Stay tuned. There’s a season to play. The fan base is watching. And that whopping vote total tells us the entire sport is riveted on every one of these plot lines — and how they affect the people who run this team and the stars whose time has produced more frustration than thrills.

“I don’t see anybody being under more pressure than the Blue Jays,” one longtime exec said. “I think they’ve got a lot on the line this year.”


How will the Blue Jays-Vladimir Guerrero Jr. saga end? (Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)

JED HOYER, CRAIG COUNSELL AND THE CUBS (12 VOTES): Their curse-busting World Series was (gasp) nine years ago. Their last postseason win was (what?) eight years ago. And the Cubs are now entering their fifth season since Theo Epstein headed off to figure out the inner secrets of the pitch clock. So one voter said this as clearly as it can be said: “The Cubs have to win.”

You should know that our voters like this roster. It feels as though Hoyer, the club’s president of baseball operations, has pushed many of the right buttons. And there’s a reason Counsell is the highest-paid manager in the game. But when you’re the one team spending big money in the NL Central Thrift Shop, you need something tangible to show for it. Will this be their time?

“The Cubs,” said one rival exec, “feel like they’re under heavy pressure.”

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BRYCE HARPER, TREA TURNER AND THE PHILLIES’ CORE (7 VOTES): We introduced a new question in our survey this year: Which rosters — or core groups — are under the most pressure? The results were fascinating.

The Blue Jays players (nine votes) won that one, too. But right behind them were the Phillies. It’s not hard to see why.

They’re rocking the third-highest payroll in baseball. They’re coming off two straight postseason train wrecks. Yet for the second straight winter, their legendary team-builder, Dave Dombrowski, has doubled down on a roster built to win. So if this core group wants to stay together, it needs to win together.

“They’re getting older,” said one voter. “Their core group of players is starting to age. (Kyle) Schwarber and (J.T.) Realmuto are free agents at the end of the year. I just feel a sense of urgency in a very difficult division.”

JERRY DIPOTO AND THE MARINERS (7 VOTES): Let’s recap the Mariners’ star-crossed history: 48 seasons … zero appearances in the World Series … just five trips to the postseason … and haven’t even reached a League Championship Series since 2001. That doesn’t quite make them the Cleveland Browns of baseball, but that’s quite a trail of seasons that didn’t end well.

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Not all of that, obviously, is on their modern-day trade maestro, and current president of baseball ops, Jerry Dipoto, now entering his 10th season atop this front office. But 130 trades into his tenure, this feels like a significant year in Dipoto’s life and times.

He has built possibly the best rotation in baseball. But ownership hasn’t given him the cash to build around it. So it feels like this team is just treading water — and the baseball world let us know it’s noticed.

“The iron is hot,” said one AL exec, “and they’re not striking.”

Who else is feeling the heat?


A.J. Preller’s Padres were among the clubs singled out by voters. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

With all the precincts counted, let’s recap the voting.

TEAMS/FRONT OFFICES/MANAGERS UNDER PRESSURE

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Blue Jays — 22
Cubs — 12
Mariners — 7
Padres — 5
Angels — 2
Phillies — 2
Yankees — 1
Red Sox — 1
Cardinals — 1
Astros — 1
Twins — 1
Pirates — 1
Rockies — 1

MANAGERS WHO WERE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED

John Schneider (Blue Jays) — 3
Oliver Marmol (Cardinals) — 2
Rob Thomson (Phillies) — 2
Aaron Boone (Yankees) — 1
Rocco Baldelli (Twins) — 1

ROSTERS/CORE GROUPS UNDER PRESSURE

Blue Jays — 9
Phillies — 7
Padres — 5
Yankees — 4
Orioles — 4
Mariners — 3
Cubs — 2
Mets — 2
Astros — 1
Dodgers — 1
Diamondbacks — 1

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(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Cole Burston / Getty Images; Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images; Griffin Quinn / Getty Images)

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‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42

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‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42

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Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio were once brothers in arms in the Judgment Day. The two helped the faction run “Monday Night Raw” for several years.

As championships and opportunities came and went, the rift between Balor and Mysterio grew. It came to a head when Balor caused Mysterio to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Balor leaving the Judgment Day left Mysterio and Liv Morgan as the leaders with JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez sticking around.

Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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The latter four chose to ride with Mysterio and attacked Balor on one episode of Raw.

The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42. To make matters more interesting, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made the match a street fight hours before the show was set to begin.

Balor had vowed to bring the “Demon” out and he certainly did.

JACOB FATU PUTS DREW MCINTYRE IN THE ‘REAR VIEW’ IN UNSANCTIONED MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA 42

Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Balor made his way to the ring in his “Demon” gear, dripping with red and black paint. Mysterio was in a mask with other Mysterio supporters.

The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.

Mysterio wrapped Balor’s head in between a chair and hit a 619 on him. He tried to pin Balor, but to no avail. At another point, Mysterio tossed Balor through a table set up in the corner.

As many have learned, it’s hard to keep your demons down. Mysterio learned the hard way.

Balor would not give up. Balor clotheslined Mysterio, hit him with a chair multiple times before wrapping his head in between the chair and drop-kicking him into the corner. Balor put Mysterio onto a table and hit the Coup de Grâce for the win.

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Dominik Mysterio is introduced before his match against Finn Balor during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Balor excised his own demons, while Mysterio is still haunted.

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Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies

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Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies

What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.

With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t hold a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.

Nor could the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new guy, Ryan Ward, made the final out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a chance to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in right field.

Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 meetings all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included closer Edwin Díaz, who came on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.

Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki gave up three runs on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings Sunday against the Rockies in Denver.

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(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.

“They both weren’t sharp,” said manager Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many answers — though he did have real concern, especially about Díaz, who recently had his right knee checked out by the medical staff.

Roberts said the closer wanted to pitch after nine days off, even though it wasn’t a save situation. But his velocity was slightly down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the manager said.

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“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”

And losing for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in danger of losing their four-game series, after arriving in Denver without having lost to a National League opponent, against a club that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?

It’s well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Ward’s otherwise sweet debut.

Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and got the 20-some members of Ward’s party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.

“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”

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He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.

The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and extended his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers history.

Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.

The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice — gave up four consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.

The result likely will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list.

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The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers this year.

Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks and get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.

“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”

If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.

“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’

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“I used it as fire to keep working.”

That will be the Dodgers’ assignment too.

In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.

While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.

The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”

Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”

Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.

“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”

Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.

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