2 managers with Cubs ties could be on the hot seat by the end of the season

Craig Counsell isn't going anywhere, regardless of how the 2025 season plays out for the Chicago Cubs. In the second season of the record-setting five-year deal he inked in Nov. 2023, Counsell is hoping to guide the team back to the postseason for the first time in a full-length season since 2018.

But that doesn't mean managerial job security is a topic Cubs fans should ignore this year. A new piece at The Athletic (subscription required) has nearly one-third of the league's skippers whose jobs may be riding on their respective team's success - including two with longstanding ties to the Cubs in Dave Martinez and Brandon Hyde.

A pair of former Cubs bench coaches face critical 2025 seasons

Martinez is in his eighth season at the helm of the Washington Nationals - with a World Series championship back in 2019 to his credit. But with much of the young talent acquired in the Juan Soto trade now at the big-league level, the hope is this is a team ready to start winning again. As The Athletic points out - only the lowly Colorado Rockies have lost more games since 2019 than the Nats.

Washington hasn't even had a .500 record since that season - but there doesn't seem to be any immediate pressure on Martinez or the front office. The youth movement is nice, sure, but until ownership starts spending again, it's hard to expect this team to seriously contend. That being said, even getting back to breaking even would be a welcome sight in D.C.

Another former Cubs bench coach, Brandon Hyde, has called the shots in Baltimore since 2019 - and it's wild to think the Orioles would move on from him after 101 and 91-win seasons over the last two years. But the clock is ticking - and after cratering late last summer and getting bounced out of the postseason in the wild-card round, the pressure to win is higher than ever.

This is another situation that feels like more onus should be on ownership - despite glaring needs in the rotation, the team made middling additions and missed out on reuniting with Corbin Burnes, leaving a glaring hole atop the staff. Still, this is a talented team - and missing out on the postseason could bring change to Camden Yards at year's end.