Skip Schumaker Leaving Marlins for Personal Reasons, Won't Return as Manager in 2025

Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, following the club's 15-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, informed his players that he will miss the final two games of MLB's regular season, and that he won't be returning to manage the club in 2025, according to multiple reports. ESPN's Jeff Passan was first to report the news.

Schumaker reportedly is leaving the club immediately due to a death in the family. Schumaker, a former player who spent 11 seasons in MLB, was the Marlins' skipper for two seasons, compiling a 144-178 record. He led the club to just its fourth postseason berth—and its second since 2003—in 2023, where the club was defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series. Schumaker was named NL Manager of the Year.

The Marlins front office underwent significant change in October of 2023. General manager Kim NG, when told of the club's plans to hire a president of baseball operations who would have seniority over her in the department, resigned and new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix stepped in.

A change in strategy appeared to accompany the change in leadership, as the club dealt multiple cornerstone-type players, such as two-time batting champion Luis Arraez and electrifying infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., away in a seeming effort to rebuild during the 2024 season.

Schumaker, who was displeased with the departure of NG, reportedly sought to restructure his contract to remove a team option for the 2025 season, according to The Miami Herald. The club made the move this past winter, which effectively gave Schumaker the freedom to explore other opportunities in 2025.

And such opportunities are already beginning to present themselves, as the Cincinnati Reds on September 22 fired manager David Bell. The Chicago White Sox, a club that set the record for the most losses in a season in the modern era in '24, also has a vacancy at manager.

When asked about his next steps after Friday's game, an emotional Schumaker was uncertain.

"Yeah, I'm not real sure," Schumaker said. "That [the win] was definitely for my grandma. But I'm not real sure what the next couple days are. I'll be watching the game with my family. But I think it's gonna be tough watching from home."

"I'm just grateful for the staff and the players giving it all to me every single day."