Braves Manager Search: Dodgers’ Danny Lehmann Emerges as Front-Runner, But World Series Delay Risks “Offseason Chaos”.vc
With Brian Snitker out and free agency just days away, the Atlanta Braves face mounting urgency to hire their next manager, or risk jeopardizing their offseason plans.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves are heading into one of their most critical offseasons in recent memory, and they are doing so without a manager at the helm.
Following a disastrous 2025 season, the team has parted ways with veteran skipper Brian Snitker. Now, with free agency looming just days away, the organization faces “mounting urgency” to hire his successor, as a delay could risk “offseason chaos.”
A top candidate has reportedly emerged: Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann.
The End of the Snitker Era
The decision to move on from Snitker, 69, comes after the Braves’ worst season in quite some time. The team’s dramatic fall has forced changes that were expected by the end of the year.
“Because of that consistent recent success, Snit would normally be afforded a ‘mulligan’ year,” wrote Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report. “Even though going from the second-best preseason World Series odds to possibly the third-best odds of winning the draft lottery is a pretty serious mulligan.”
Miller also noted that Snitker, the oldest manager in the National League, “was likely to retire at the end of this season, which is the last one in his current contract.”
Lehmann Emerges as Top Target
With the search underway, the Braves are reportedly zeroing in on a front-runner.
“As for Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, his candidacy has seemingly strengthened over the past couple weeks,” wrote Braves insider Mark Bowman.
The connection to the Braves’ front office is strong. According to Bowman, “Lehmann was Los Angeles’ advance video scout when [Braves GM Alex] Anthopoulos was with the Dodgers from 2016-17. The two have remained in contact over the years that have followed.”
World Series Delay Creates “Offseason Chaos” Risk
The primary issue for Atlanta is the calendar. Lehmann’s Dodgers are “set to begin their World Series battle against the Blue Jays on Friday.” This deep postseason run is complicating Atlanta’s timeline.
Bowman noted that Lehmann’s candidacy “could lead to the Braves waiting into November before announcing their next manager.”
That timeline conflicts directly with the start of MLB free agency, which begins just days after the World Series concludes.
While Anthopoulos initially emphasized that the team would take its time with the hire, the clock is now ticking. As SI’s Harrison Smajovitts wrote, “it’s hard to imagine it take too much longer to make their decision. They’re going to want to know who their manager is when they go about their offseason plans.”
If the Braves want to successfully execute their “offseason plans in the player department,” they must hire Snitker’s successor quickly.
