Don Mattingly and the Los Angeles Dodgers parted ways last week, but it wasn't too long before the manager was garnering interest from around the MLB. The latest rumors indicate he already has a new job.
"The Miami Marlins have hired Don Mattingly to be their next manager, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who is not yet authorized to speak publicly," reports Molly Knight of VICE Sports.
"Mattingly's deal is for four years, according to the source. He will be the club's eighth manager since 2010. The Marlins are thought to be waiting until after the World Series to make a formal announcement."
Confirming #Marlins have reached agreement w/ Don Mattingly, which was expected. Was first choice all along. @molly_knight first reported
— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) October 29, 2015
Even before Mattingly left Los Angeles there were rumors suggesting the Marlins would pursue to the 54-year-old if the Dodgers were to let him go after 2015. That turned out to be true when Miami had Mattingly in for an interview on Monday. The Marlins didn't confirm any of those reports, but it was said the next step after the interview was "ironing out a deal," according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
Mattingly will likely have much more autonomy in Miami as opposed to Los Angeles, where it was said the Dodgers' front office exerted a lot of influence regarding roster personnel. He'll also have fewer star players to manage and instead inherit a young roster in Miami, which will give him a greater opportunity to call the shots.
His five-year run with the Dodgers was successful, to say the least. Mattingly never had a losing season during his tenure and captured three consecutive NL West titles, which was the first time such a feat was achieved in franchise history. He also kept the club together during recent turmoil, specifically issues focusing on Yasiel Puig and other trade rumors that could have divided the clubhouse.
However, the Dodgers were eliminated in the NLDS for the second straight year after making the NLCS in 2013, so the front office may have not believed the team was moving in the right direction with Mattingly.
Now he'll head to the East Coast, so stay tuned for any other updates on the matter.
