Following the Dodgers' 3-2 loss on Tuesday night that eliminated them from the MLB playoffs, it's speculated that general manager Ned Colletti is on the hot seat with the team's ownership, while Don Mattingly's job appears to be safe.
The Dodgers were the favorite to win the World Series this season, but failed to make it out of the NLDS, which has made their 94-68 regular season record an afterthought. Both ESPN Los Angeles reporter Mark Saxon as well as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal have reported that Mattingly is likely to remain the Dodgers' manager, but Colletti could be in danger of losing his GM position.
It's hard to place the blame after the Dodgers were simply unable to get the bats going after Game 1 and then watched the MLB's best pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, lose two games in a four-day span after losing just three during the entire 2014 regular season. Colletti is the winningest active general manager in the National League since 2006 and has made the playoffs five out of his nine years with the Dodgers, including three NLCS appearances (2008, 2009, 2013).
Colletti now oversees the league's highest payroll of $240 million, which is probably why reports of his job security have surfaced. With the payroll, he essentially has the freedom to do anything, so the team's ownership is probably frustrated they haven't captured a World Series in recent years.
However, if Colletti goes, Mattingly could be on his way out too depending on who they hire.
"If Dodgers change GMs, Colletti's replacement presumably would want ability to name his own manager - if not sooner, then later," Rosenthal tweeted earlier today.
This would be surprising though, considering that the Dodgers have one of the deepest farm systems in the MLB and possess a number of coveted prospects - Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias - that various teams were interested in prior to the trade deadline. Colletti refused to trade any of them to preserve the future of the organization.
But if they do change GMs, it will be interesting to see what the Dodgers do this offseason with players Hanley Ramirez (free agent) and Matt Kemp (potentially on the trading block) as well as other free agent pitchers Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields.
It looks like they need one more move to thrust them into the World Series.
