Despite what many of us (myself included) would like to believe, I don't think he was fired for his on the field managerial performance or how he handled the pitching staff/pen, the batting order, dugout discipline etc. If the team had a players only meeting just a week ago, perhaps out of that meeting came to light some players concerns about Montoyo, vis a vis, his leadership of the team and it trickled upwards to Shapiro/Atkins. This is an important year and the team has made a significant financial committment; money talks. They aren't messing around and cut the cord. If Schnieder makes the playoffs and wins a series he will likely be managing this team next year. If not, all options are on the table for a new manager next year.