The Marlins are in “serious talks” with Don Mattingly regarding the club’s open managerial position, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Both sides expect to reach agreement, per the report.
All indications have been that the former Dodgers skipper was the focus of Miami’s managerial search. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro said yesterday that an interview on Monday went well, with the sides seemingly set to talk about contract terms. And today’s report suggests that negotiations are progressing in earnest.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, a noted Yankees afficionado, is said to be a huge fan of Mattingly. Miami put a hold on its nascent managerial search to see how things would shake out with Los Angeles, and move quickly on Mattingly after he agreed to part ways with the team.
Though he was unable to guide the Dodgers deep into the post-season, he was seemingly successful at managing the club’s big contracts and big personalities. Under Mattingly’s leadership, the club carried a .551 overall regular season winning percentage.
The Marlins present something of a different challenge, of course. There’s much less media attention and a much lower payroll, though keeping a dugout job for a Loria-owned team has not proven easy over the years. In recent years, the organization has churned through Ozzie Guillen, Mike Redmond, and past (and future?) GM Dan Jennings.
As Heyman notes, the Dodgers remain on the hook for the remaining $1.6MM owed Mattingly under his prior contract. A new deal with Miami would be expected to “easily top” that amount in annual value, per the report.
It’s worth bearing in mind that a deal may well not be announced until after the conclusion of the World Series, even if it’s reached before that point. Frisaro tweets that the club likely will indeed hold off on officially naming a new skipper until that point.
He’s a good fit for the talent, but can he keep Stanton healthy?
Seemings how he isnt a doctor, trainer or wizard Im going to say you should ask Stanton and the training staff. He plays RF and bats 3-4. Everything else would be out of Mattinglys hands.
Stanton’s injuries are kind of flukey.
marlins in serious negotiations to hire then fire mattingly after one year of three year contract.
agreed, the mattingly/loria combo doesn’t smell like a long term solution. how will mattingly be able to handle no July 31 upgrades?
A not too wild guess at the terms: $4.4M over three years. $400k in the first year with the Dodgers stuck with the balance, and $2M for each of the next two seasons.
I feel like it would be much more money. If I’m Mattingly, the Dodger money has no bearing on my negotiations with the Marlins. 4.4 ain’t gonna cut it
Looks like it will be four years but I will stick by my prediction about the structure of the deal. They will make the Dodgers pay for most of his first year so don’t forget to add in the $1.6M the Dodgers still owe.