Rangers Hire Skip Schumaker as Senior Advisor; Luis Urueta is expected to be hired as replacement coach

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, to take that job with the Rangers.

It is unclear how this will affect Donnie Ecker, as he was a reserve coach at Texas and there is nothing to indicate he is leaving the club. Will Venable was just hired to manage the White Sox after previously being an assistant manager of the Rangers. So perhaps Urueta will take over some of Venable's duties when Ecker's title changes.

Schumaker was hired to lead the Marlins ahead of the 2023 season. His first season at the helm was a success, as the Fish defied the odds, posting an 84-78 record and making the postseason, their first full-season playoff appearance in 20 years. Schumaker was subsequently named National League Manager of the Year.

Despite the Cinderella season, the Marlins subsequently decided to reshape their front office, parting ways with general manager Kim Ng and hiring Peter Bendix as president of baseball operations. Schumaker was reportedly unhappy with the change in direction, which led to the Marlins canceling their club option with him for 2025.

That report came out in April and was expected throughout the 2024 campaign that he would leave Miami, which eventually happened. There was speculation that he was suitable as a manager for other clubs and after the off-season he was actually considered for positions. In addition to the Marlins, there were two other clubs this winter, namely the Reds and the White Sox. Schumaker was linked to both gigs, but the Reds chose Terry Francona and the Sox chose Venable.

Maybe Schumaker will be captain again one day, but for now he will join the Rangers organization. It's unclear whether this is part of a long-term transition from the dugout to the front office or perhaps just a placeholder job. If Schumaker wants to do it again in the future, this job might be a more attractive alternative than sitting idle for a year. He can share some of his expertise with the Rangers while absorbing some of theirs and may be ready to take on leadership roles next winter.

It's also possible his next leadership position will be in Arlington. Many people considered Venable to be a future manager of sorts as current captain Bruce Bochy turns 70 in April. Venable has since moved on, but the club obviously wants to be prepared for the possibility that Bochy decides to resign. If that happens in the next year or two, Schumaker may be able to easily step into that role since he's already familiar with some of the inner workings of the organization.

Urueta worked under Schumaker in Miami for the last two years. Last month, it was reported that the Marlins would not retain any of their coaching staff, presumably to give Schumaker's eventual successor a say in the makeup of their next staff. Urueta received some consideration for the managerial gig in Miami, which is still open, but it looks like he will now head to Texas with Schumaker.

As mentioned, the Rangers have had both Ecker and Venable on their coaching staff in recent years. Ecker was hired as a reserve coach and offensive coordinator beginning in 2022 and Venable was hired as an assistant manager beginning in 2023. With Venable leaving and Urueta stepping in as replacement coach, it is unclear what impact this will have on Ecker. Perhaps Ecker could step into Venable's role, although that's just speculation at this point. Further details will certainly be announced in the coming days.