Bendix gears up for 1st managerial hire with Marlins

MIAMI -- The search is on.

Less than 48 hours after the Marlins announced that Skip Schumaker wouldn’t be returning as manager, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix fielded questions mainly about the organization’s hunt for its new leader on Tuesday morning at loanDepot park.

While Bendix wouldn’t disclose why Schumaker and the club decided to part ways, he went on to reveal that conversations were scheduled later this week with the rest of the coaching staff. Whether any of them wish to put their name in to be franchise’s 17th manager will remain private.

So what is Bendix, who will get to hire a manager for the first time, looking for in his candidates?

“I think there's a lot of different ways that somebody can be an excellent manager, and we're working through a lot of different profiles, a lot of different people,” Bendix said. “By the end of this process, I expect that we'll have a better answer for you, but at the moment, it's still something that we're working through.”

Are there any characteristics that Bendix will weigh more? Perhaps, previous experience? An analytics-driven mind? A former ballplayer?

“I think it's hard to say that one weighs that much more than another, because I think if you look around the league, there's a lot of different ways of doing it, and what we need to figure out is what's the right combination for us,” Bendix said.

When someone asked about how the managerial position has changed over time, Bendix reflected on whether that was the case.

“I think in some ways, it's evolved, because every position in baseball has evolved, certainly since I started 15 years ago, and let alone a generation ago,” Bendix said. “And in a lot of ways, I think it's very similar, because you're still a leader of men. You're still a leader of people in the clubhouse who are young, who are millionaires, and who are used to succeeding, and so I think there are certainly some differences. But ultimately, there's parts of that job and parts of all of these jobs that are going to be consistent over time as well.”

The Marlins will be competing with at least the Reds and White Sox when it comes to managerial candidates. More organizations could still join them.

How does that affect the timeline for hiring a new manager? Miami announced Schumaker on Oct. 25, 2022. Teams usually stay away from big announcements during the postseason, especially the World Series, out of courtesy. The General Managers Meetings generally take place shortly after in November. The Winter Meetings are in early December. The front office will want its new manager by then to help with offseason plans.

“The ideal time is as soon as possible, and so you balance as soon as possible with really conducting a thorough search, and I don't know exactly how that comes together,” Bendix said.

Finally, Bendix was asked what would be the appeal of the Marlins’ managerial job after a 100-loss season.

Miami improved its win percentage from the first (.344) to second half (.439), ending on a season-high-tying four-game win streak. The Marlins also seem to have the makings of a promising position-player core led by corner infielder/designated hitters Jake Burger and Jonah Bride, shortstop Xavier Edwards, third baseman Connor Norby and second baseman Otto Lopez.

Plus, Miami expects to see the returns of injured starters Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Eury Pérez (All-Star break) and Braxton Garrett. Both Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers missed significant time in 2024 but returned toward the end of the season. That group played a large part in the Marlins’ 2023 postseason berth.

“I'm excited about what we're building,” Bendix said. “I think that we saw a lot of positive things throughout the season, even though it was a very frustrating and disappointing season. I think we were able to make improvements across the board, and I think we have a foundation for something that could be really exciting.”