Here’s how much managers are devalued these days: Excluding late-September, get-it-over-with dismissals, not one has been fired in-season since 2018.

That’s right, teams do not even think enough of managers to believe naming a new one in the middle of a season might make a difference. The Cardinals’ hiring of Mike Shildt to replace Mike Matheny at the 2018 All-Star break was the last in-season change. One other team dumped its manager that season — the Reds, who removed Bryan Price in favor of Jim Riggleman after a 3-15 start.

Seems like ages ago, no? Not a single in-season firing occurred the past three seasons, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. It’s a far cry from May 1991, when — true story — a manager was fired on each of the first three days of my son’s life.

The late Jerome Holtzman of the Chicago Tribune named the rash of firings in my son’s honor, calling it, “The Curse of Samuel Joseph.” Ah, but the curse is now a distant memory. Baseball-writing parents need not worry about the run that occurred in 1991 — the Cubs’ Don Zimmer, Royals’ John Wathan and Orioles’ Frank Robinson, taken down one by one.

Things change at the end of a season, but even then, general managers sometimes are hesitant to make moves. In the age of collaboration, GMs handle not only roster construction, but often rely on their analytics departments to contribute to in-game strategy. GMs of tanking teams, in particular, often are reluctant to hold managers responsible for the non-competitive clubs they’ve assembled, knowing a dismissal will only lead to greater scrutiny of their own actions.

Three teams changed managers at the end of last season. The Mets and Padres opted for greater experience with Buck Showalter and Bob Melvin, respectively. The Cardinals dumped Shildt, citing philosophical differences, and replaced him with Oli Marmol, a first-time manager at 35. But since last September, 10 teams have either exercised their managers’ options or awarded them extensions. Given recent trends, it would hardly be a surprise if no managers lost their jobs during the season.

What follows, then, is not an analysis of managers on the hot seat; the idea, at least when it comes to in-season firings, is practically obsolete. Rather, this is a look, with one exception, at managers who are in the last guaranteed years of deals, and what their futures might be. The exception is the Pirates’ Derek Shelton, who according to sources is under contract through 2023, but surely will draw attention if the team loses 100 or more games for the second straight year.

Obviously managers can be fired with more than year one left on their contract, but consider the example of the Reds’ David Bell, whose team is off to a 2-11 start. The Reds signed Bell to a two-year extension last Sept. 22. Why would they dismiss him so soon after deciding to keep him?

Without further ado, here are eight managers who bear watching as the season unfolds. We’ll proceed in alphabetical order.

Dusty Baker, Astros

Baker, 72, led the Astros to the ALCS in 2020 and World Series in 2021, but the team has yet to commit to him for more than one year. The exact contractual status of general manager James Click is not known, but this is his third season in Houston and he, too, likely will be judged on whether the team plays deep into October.

Owner Jim Crane brought Baker and Click together in a hurried manner to help guide the Astros in the wake of the penalties the franchise received for stealing signs illegally. The two inherited a loaded roster from their predecessors, Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch. Any regression by the Astros will give Crane the justification he needs to make any changes he desires.

If Crane objects to such talk, the solution is simple, just as it is for any owner dealing with contracts that are expiring or close to expiring: Award extensions.