Will Mattingly Part Ways with the Dodgers?

The Dodgers faced another early exit from the NLDS this Thursday leading to a lot of uncertainties regarding the manager’s future with the club.

Don Mattingly may have many achievements to his name, including the feat of being the first Dodger manager to win three division titles in a row. However, for the Dodgers, the season once again ended short of a World Series win. While things have remained this way for the team since 1988, the expectations were quite high this time round. That is exactly what puts Mattingly’s future in peril.

A short scrutiny of Mattingly’s career and performance, however, fairs positively in his favor. Despite all the issues and injuries, the man was able to deliver over 162 games once again. He has proved himself an excellent manager of the game as well as of players manager.

The question is whether all of it can help him keep his job?

According to Mattingly, the meeting with Dodgers baseball President, Andrew Friedman, went well and he was treated with respect by the President and the front office. However, there is still no word on whether he has been informed regarding his future with the team. Dodger speakers are also keeping a lid on it for now, forming a huge question mark on the whole situation.

As far as the key players are concerned, Mattingly holds the support of Aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. The latter has just a year left on his contract before he can opt out and choose to leave. Adrian Gonzalez, a veteran Dodger says, “He’s our guy and I believe in him.”

As for the new regime, they are all fans of Mattingly. Particularly because of the way he managed many difficult situations this year. Three such situation that stand out fresh in everyone’s memory include; the uncertainty of Andre Ethier’s situation, the shortstop conundrum involving Jimmy Rollins and Corey Seager, and a catching enigma involving Yasmanai Grandal and A.J. Ellis.

Of course, there is a lot for the bosses to ponder. First of all, they need to realize that Mattingly was facing a lot of challenges on many fronts. The pitching staff remained top-heavy for most of his term. Then, there were a number of injuries to the major line-up including closer, Kenley Jensen. Not to mention, the rotation suffered greatly due to the loss of McCarthy and Ryu.

While many criticize Mattingly for the lineup decisions, it is clear that he is not always the one to make the call. The Dodgers boast an enviable positional depth and the options they have is among the strongest. However, the lineup input is heavily influenced by the bosses’ decisions, to which Mattingly is said to be quiet cooperative.

A fair weigh-in of all these factors give management good reason to keep Mattingly, but if they are skeptical about him being the man to lead the club then the word is that the Miami Marlins may grab the opportunity to welcome him to their team..

According to a source, the Marlins have deliberately kept their search to hire a manager slow and steady in the hopes of hiring Mattingly. Not to mention, the Washington Nationals-owning Lerner has also expressed keen interest in hiring Mattingly in the past.