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Don Mattingly

Don Mattingly Named Advisor To Nashville Stars Baseball Group

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The Nashville Stars, a hopeful expansion franchise led by a group including former big league pitcher and D-backs GM Dave Stewart, announced Tuesday that Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly has been named an advisor to the organization’s ownership group (officially titled Music City Baseball, LLC). The Stars/Music City Baseball also count Tony La Russa and Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin among their baseball advisors. Stewart, La Russa and Dave Dombrowski joined the Nashville group back in July 2020, and the Stars’ web site still lists Dombrowski as an advisor even after his hiring as Phillies president of baseball ops in Dec. 2020.

Mattingly will still serve as the Blue Jays’ bench coach this coming season. The Stars’ press release indicates that he will “provide counsel on key strategic matters and work to gain support in bringing a Major League Baseball franchise to Nashville.”

“Simply put, Don Mattingly knows baseball,” Stewart said in a statement within today’s press release. “He was a pure hitter, played near-flawless defense, and has been successful as a manager and coach because of his baseball mind. He is well-respected around the game of baseball, and we are lucky to have him with us.”

Mattingly, indeed, has an immensely impressive baseball resume spanning 14 seasons as a player and another dozen as a manager. The 1985 American League MVP, Mattingly was named to six All-Star teams and also won nine Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards. He retired after his age-34 season with a career .307/.358/.471 batting line, 222 home runs, 442 doubles and vastly more walks (558) than strikeouts (444).

Since retiring, Mattingly has served as both the hitting coach and bench coach for the Yankees, as well as the hitting coach for the Dodgers. Following the 2010 season, the Dodgers tabbed Mattingly as the successor to manager Joe Torre. He managed in L.A. from 2011-15 and in Miami from 2016-22. Mattingly remained at the Marlins’ helm through a sale of the franchise and a front office overhaul, but he and the team agreed to part ways late in the 2022 season. The 2023 campaign will be his first as the Blue Jays’ bench coach, and he’ll provide some valuable experience to John Schneider in his first full season as a Major League manager.

In addition to Mattingly, La Russa, Corbin and Dombrowski, some of the current and former advisors to the Stars/Music City Baseball include Bruce Bochy, R.A. Dickey, Mike Shildt, Barry Zito, Jarrod Parker and Todd Jones, per the Stars’ web site. There’s no clear timetable for when the league might earnestly seek to expand beyond its current slate of 30 teams. Commissioner Rob Manfred has stated at multiple times in the past that he indeed hopes to bring about further expansion of the league, though he’s also indicated that the long-running stadium issues for both the A’s and Rays must be addressed.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported that Mattingly had been named an advisor to the Stars’ ownership group.

Blue Jays Hire Don Mattingly As Bench Coach

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Nov. 30: The Blue Jays announced that Mattingly has been hired as their new bench coach. Candaele will return to his prior role managing the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate.

Nov. 29: The Blue Jays are closing in on a deal to bring in Don Mattingly as their bench coach, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman and Jon Heyman first reported earlier this evening that Mattingly and the Jays were in discussions about a coaching position, which Shi Davidi of Sportsnet specified was for the bench coach vacancy.

Assuming the deal is completed, Mattingly will step right back onto an MLB staff. He’s spent the past 12 years managing, leading the Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Marlins from 2016-22. Towards the end of this past season, Miami and Mattingly announced they’d part ways at the end of the year. The 61-year-old suggested he was open to continued coaching, managerial or front office work at the time, and he’ll indeed jump into another key role.

The Marlins only once qualified for the postseason during Mattingly’s seven-year tenure as manager. Miami was rebuilding for the early portion of that stretch, and it looked as if they’d taken a step forward with a 31-29 showing during the shortened 2020 season to secure a Wild Card berth. Their efforts to build around a developing rotation didn’t lead to continued progress, though, and Miami and Mattingly went their separate ways after 2021-22 seasons with 93 and 95 losses, respectively. The Fish subsequently hired Skip Schumaker away from the Cardinals as manager.

Mattingly will bring a wealth of high-level experience to the bench coach position. That’s surely welcome for 42-year-old John Schneider, who was named Toronto’s manager just prior to the start of the offseason. He’d served in that role in an interim capacity for the final couple months, taking over when the Jays dismissed Charlie Montoyo in July. This’ll be his first full season as a big league manager, though, so it’s sensible to bring in a veteran voice like Mattingly to assist in those decisions.

Schneider entered the 2022 season as Toronto’s bench coach under Montoyo. When he vacated the position to take the lead role, the Jays promoted Triple-A manager Casey Candaele to interim bench coach for the second half. It’s not clear whether Candaele will remain on the MLB staff or is set to head back to the minor leagues in 2023.

The forthcoming bench coach hiring is just one part of what could be a very eventful week for Mattingly. He’s one of eight former players under Hall of Fame consideration by the Era Committee. The six-time All-Star will find out on Sunday whether he’ll be enshrined in Cooperstown in 2023.

Hall Of Fame Announces 2023 Era Committee Candidates

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The National Baseball Hall of Fame this morning announced the eight players who’ll be considered for induction by the Era Committee, formerly known as the Veteran’s Committee. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Albert Belle, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy and Rafael Palmeiro will each be under consideration. Any player who receives votes from 12 members of the 16-person panel will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with anyone selected by 75% of the voters on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot.

Bonds, Clemens and Schilling are the most notable and long-discussed of the group. All three fell off the writers’ ballot last winter after failing to reach 75% of the vote for a 10th consecutive year, thereby exhausting their eligibility. They’ll immediately garner renewed consideration, this time from the Era Committee after their progress on the writers’ ballot stalled — or in Schilling’s case, dropped after he attempted to remove himself from the ballot as his support dwindled following a number of controversial public statements — towards the end of their time under consideration.

Clemens and Bonds, of course, have slam-dunk Hall of Fame statistics but were left outside the Hall due to their ties to performance-enhancing drugs. Both were named as alleged steroid users in the 2007 Mitchell Report. Palmeiro’s HOF candidacy was also derailed by PED ties, in his case a 2005 suspension for a failed test that came a few months after he denied ever taking steroids during Congressional testimony the preceding spring. Palmeiro spent four seasons on the writers’ ballot but fell off in 2014 after receiving less than the 5% of the vote needed to remain under consideration.

Belle lasted two seasons on the writers’ ballot, falling below the 5% threshold in 2007. Mattingly, McGriff and Murphy all spent the maximum allotted time under consideration by the BBWAA but never crossed the necessary 75% threshold. Mattingly’s vote share peaked at 28.2% in his first year on the ballot. Murphy topped out at 23.2%, while McGriff’s vote share hit its apex at 39.8% during his final year in 2019.

The Era Committee’s purpose is to induct players who may have slipped through the cracks on the BBWAA ballot. It has historically cast a wider net for induction than has the Writers Association. This year’s crop of players are part of the “Contemporary Baseball Era,” which considers players whose primary contributions to the sport have come since 1980. Voting will be conducted on December 4.

Marlins Notes: Meyer, Pitching Staff, Mattingly, Coaches

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The Marlins will likely be without top pitching prospect Max Meyer for the entire 2023 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of July. Whether it’s a return late in the ’23 season or for Opening Day 2024, the former No. 3 overall pick is still a pivotal arm for the organization’s future — but a role has yet to be determined. Scouting reports on Meyer have long suggested that he could eventually land in the bullpen, and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the right-hander indeed has traits that “lean more on a bullpen guy.” Stottlemyre emphasized that Meyer will still get a look as a starter to “see how his changeup develops, see how he reacts to getting through the lineup three times” but also noted that Meyer’s elite slider, max-effort delivery and general mentality on the mound all lend themselves to potential bullpen work. “He is wired a lot like a bullpen guy,” said Stottlemyre.

Jackson’s piece also contains detailed thoughts from both Stottlemyre and outgoing skipper Don Mattingly on a number of the team’s young arms, including Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Sixto Sanchez and top prospect Eury Perez. General manager Kim Ng, meanwhile, appeared as a guest in the booth during yesterday’s game and broadly discussed the team’s rotation depth (Twitter link, with video, via Bally Sports Florida).

Some more notes out of Miami…

  • Although Mattingly is on the way out as the team’s manager, he revealed yesterday that he’s at least spoken to Marlins owner Bruce Sherman about the possibility of remaining with the organization in another role (Twitter link via Jackson). The 61-year-old Mattingly stated that, while nothing has been agreed upon yet, “nothing’s off the table” either. Mattingly noted at the time of his release that he was looking forward to spending time with his family but also “to any future endeavors,” strongly suggesting that he does not plan to retire and that he’s open to opportunities both with the Marlins or with another club. There will be quite a few managerial openings this winter, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mattingly surface as a candidate for several of them. The Rangers, Angels, Phillies, White Sox and Blue Jays all currently have “interim” managers after in-season dismissals of their Opening Day personnel, though some of those interim skippers could be moved into a full-time role for the 2023 season.
  • Marlins general manager Kim Ng was a guest in the booth on yesterday’s broadcast and said that any decisions pertaining to the coaching staff will likely wait until a new manager is hired (Twitter link, with video, via Bally Sports Florida). MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola wrote recently, however, that the Marlins will likely try to retain Stottlemyre as pitching coach, though they’ll likely have competition from other clubs in that regard. “I guess fortunate thing for Mel and unfortunate thing for the organization, Mel’s probably going to have options,” Mattingly said last week when asked about Stottlemyre.

Don Mattingly Won’t Return As Marlins Manager In 2023

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Don Mattingly and the Marlins have mutually agreed that 2022 will be his final season as the club’s manager, according to a press release from the team.

The team released a statement from chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman as well as Mattingly. Sherman’s portion reads: “We are fortunate to have had Don Mattingly leading our team on the field over the last seven years. He has represented the Marlins, our players, our fans, and the South Florida community with unmatched dignity and pride. Over the course of our recent conversations with Don, we both agreed not to pursue a new contract for the 2023 season and that the time is right for a new voice to lead our clubhouse. He will depart with the most wins and most games managed in franchise history and we are proud of Don’s many accomplishments, including winning National League Manager of the Year in 2022 when he guided the Marlins to the postseason after a 16-year absence.”

Don Mattingly } Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsMattingly’s portion of the press release reads: “Today I am announcing that I will not be seeking a contract extension with the Miami Marlins. After meeting with Mr. Sherman and discussing with Kim Ng, all parties agreed that it was time for a new voice for the organization. I am proud and honored to have served as manager of the Marlins for the past seven years and have enjoyed my experiences and relationships I’ve developed within the organization. I look forward to spending time with my family in Evansville, and to any future endeavors.”

Mattingly, 61, got his first taste of managing with the Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 before coming over to the Marlins prior to the 2016 season. Of course, a lot has changed for the franchise during that time. The Fish were near-ish to .500 in Mattingly’s first two seasons as skipper, finishing 79-82 in 2016 and then 77-85 the following year.

It was towards the end of that 2017 campaign that the club was sold from Jeffrey Loria to a group headed by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman. The new ownership group immediately set out to slash the team’s budget, trading away Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich that winter and J.T. Realmuto one year later. That unsurprisingly led the team into a stretch of poor results, finishing in the basement of the NL East in 2018 and 2019. They surprised with a 31-29 finish in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, with Mattingly winning Manager of the Year in the process, but then were back to being bad again in the two subsequent campaigns. They went 67-95 last year and currently sport a record of 63-89 here in 2022.

Those trades landed several prospects, including Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Daniel Castano, Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison, Isan Diaz, Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro and others. Very few of those players found success in Miami, however, with many of them having since moved on to other organizations. The club still felt like it had enough young pitching talent to take an aggressive approach this offseason, bringing in Avisail Garcia, Jorge Soler, Jacob Stallings and Joey Wendle for 2022. Unfortunately, all of those players have had disappointing seasons, meaning the post-rebuild era still seems illusive.

Mattingly currently sports a record of 437-583 while at the helm in Miami, though it would be difficult to place the blame squarely on him for all that losing given that the franchise has been intentionally bad for much of that stretch. It’s also probably not what Mattingly had in mind when he first joined the team, as the exciting bunch of young and talented MLB players that were present when he was first hired were sent packing in exchange for even younger prospects. Given that his departure has been reported as a mutual decision, it doesn’t seem like he was particularly enthused about continuing with the ongoing rebuild efforts. His statement indicates that he will go home to his family in Indiana, though it’s unclear if he would be interested in or pursue any other opportunities in baseball.

The Marlins will head into the offseason with much work to do this offseason in order to improve for 2023, but now they will have to add a managerial search to the list. General manager Kim Ng and her staff will be competing with the Blue Jays, Phillies, Angels and Rangers, who all fired their managers this year, though some of them could potentially retain their interim skippers into the future.

Craig Mish and Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reported on Mattingly’s departure prior to the official team announcement.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Marlins Planning To Retain GM Kim Ng

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The Marlins are planning to bring back general manager Kim Ng, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. He adds that Ng and owner Bruce Sherman met last week as the organization charts out a plan for the upcoming offseason.

It’s not particularly surprising, as there’s never been any indication Sherman was seriously considering replacing Ng. First hired over the 2020-21 offseason, Ng has been at the helm of the front office for the past two years. Much of that time was spent working alongside CEO Derek Jeter and vice president of scouting/player development Gary Denbo, but both have moved on from the franchise in recent months. Jeter stepped down in February, while Denbo was let go at the end of June. Sherman, for his part, indicated he’ll remain in his role for the long haul. He tells Jackson he has “never considered” selling the team and is “more deeply invested in the team’s success now than ever.”

While Ng will hold onto her position at the top of the front office, Jackson reports that Miami is expected to make some changes both at the lower levels of the front office and on the major league coaching staff. Whether that extends to manager Don Mattingly remains to be seen, but the skipper is believed to be in the final year of his contract. Both Mattingly and the Marlins picked up a 2022 mutual option on his deal last July, but there’s no indication the sides have extended their relationship beyond this year.

Hired in November 2015, Mattingly has spent the past seven seasons running the show in South Florida. He’s the second-longest tenured skipper in the National League behind Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell and the fifth-longest tenured in the majors, but the Marlins carry a 431-576 record (.428 win percentage) over that stretch. The Fish were rebuilding early in his tenure, but they’d hoped to turn a corner after earning a playoff berth during the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Competing over a full schedule in 2021 may have been too optimistic for such a young roster, but a 67-95 showing had to be a disappointment. Even more deflating, Miami is trending towards a similar result this year. That’s in spite of a relatively aggressive offseason (at least by the franchise’s standards), in which the Fish brought in Avisaíl García and Jorge Soler on multi-year free agent deals and acquired Joey Wendle and Jacob Stallings via trade. All four of those players have underwhelmed to varying degrees, and the Marlins have again trotted out one of the sport’s most punchless offenses. Miami entered play Monday ranked 27th in on-base percentage (.294) and 28th in slugging (.363).

Speaking with Jackson, Sherman acknowledged the team’s performance this year “has been immensely frustrating.” He indicated the club believed they’d be capable of contending for a playoff spot entering the season and admitted “we were not as good as we thought we’d be.” Sherman indicated they’d take another shot at competing in 2023 and weren’t planning to orchestrate another rebuild.

That aligns with recent reports that the club intends to again look for offensive help, perhaps by dangling some of its controllable pitching in trade. Asked by Jackson whether the lackluster early returns on the Soler and García contracts would deter the team from dipping into free agency, Sherman said “no” and indicated they’d “continue to explore all options” to talent acquisition. At the same time, he largely demurred when asked about the payroll, noting only that he “(expects) to continue to invest once again in our Major League payroll in 2023.”

Spending is an ever-present question for the Marlins, who haven’t exceeded $80MM in Opening Day payroll in any of the past four seasons (according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts). This year’s roughly $79.6MM mark ranks 26th leaguewide. Miami has roughly $45MM in guaranteed commitments on the books for next season, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include potential arbitration raises for players like Wendle, Brian Anderson, Pablo López, Garrett Cooper, Stallings and Jon Berti, though. Some members of that group are likely to be traded or non-tendered, but the available payroll space could dry up relatively quickly if Miami’s not willing to push much past this year’s spending level. That’d leave a challenging task for Ng and her front office to construct a roster capable of contending for the organization’s first playoff spot in a 162-game season since 2003.

Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts

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Now that the new year is upon us, it could also conceivably be the last year for several managers or lead front office executives (i.e. president of baseball operations, general manager, chief baseball officer, or whatever title a club bestows upon its top baseball decision-maker) in their current jobs if their teams don’t enjoy some success in 2022.  With this in mind, here is the list of team personnel facing particular pressure — the managers and top execs who are entering the last guaranteed year of their contracts.

This list is by no means exhaustive.  Firstly, some clubs don’t publicly disclose specifics of management contracts, or even whether or not an employee has signed an extension until weeks or months after the fact.  It could be that some of the names mentioned are already locked up beyond 2022, or perhaps have already signed extensions in the last few weeks that won’t be made official until after the lockout.  While transactions involving Major League players are prohibited during the lockout, teams are free to proceed with normal business involving team personnel, so some club might look to handle other internal matters in advance of the transactional avalanche that will come when the lockout finally ends.

Second of all, any number of factors beyond just contract status can influence an employee’s job status, and sometimes on-field success isn’t enough (just ask former Cardinals skipper Mike Shildt).  However, extra years on a contract is usually the simplest way to gauge just how much leeway a manager or front office boss has, barring something unforeseen.  It’s probably safe to assume that most or all of the names listed wouldn’t mind a little extra job security, if for no other reason than to avoid a season of media questions about their future, or the perception of any “lame duck” status from their own players or staff.

Thanks to Cot’s Baseball Contracts for reference information on some of these contracts.  Onto the list…

Angels: Owner Arte Moreno is a huge Joe Maddon fan, but since bringing Maddon back to the organization on a three-year, $12MM contract, the Halos have recorded two losing seasons.  In fairness to Maddon, he has rarely gotten to deploy an Angels roster at the peak of its potential, as Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and Shohei Ohtani (who barely pitched in 2020) have been injured or limited for large chunks of Maddon’s tenure.  Since the veteran skipper turns 68 in February, there might also be some question about just how much longer Maddon himself wants to keep up with the grind of a regular-season schedule, especially after the challenges of managing a team through the pandemic.  With the clock ticking on Ohtani’s team control and Trout’s prime, another losing season might inspire some changes in Anaheim.

Astros: Back in November, Dusty Baker received a one-year contract extension that takes the veteran skipper through the 2022 campaign.  It isn’t the type of job security you’d expect for a manager who just took his team to a World Series appearance, but Houston appears content to go year-to-year with Baker, perhaps owing to his age (Baker turns 73 in June).

Athletics: Billy Beane has been running Oakland’s front office since 1997, and while the exact length of his current contract isn’t known, it is probably safe to assume Beane will have his job as long as he wishes.  Beane withdrew his name from consideration from the Mets’ search when New York showed interest in Beane’s services this past fall, and for now, it seems as though he and GM David Forst are preparing to lead the A’s through yet another spin of the payroll-cutting “cycle” so familiar to Oakland fans.  Since Beane also owns a minority share of the team, there would be an added layer of complication for the A’s in removing Beane if they did decide to make a change.

Blue Jays: Manager Charlie Montoyo was initially signed to a three-year deal with a club option for 2022, and the Jays exercised that option last March.  The club might have been taking a bit of a wait-and-see approach by not negotiating any more additional years with Montoyo, but since Toronto won 91 games last season, Montoyo would now seem like a prime candidate for a longer-term deal.  Montoyo has won praise both for the Blue Jays’ success over the last two seasons, and his steady leadership over a difficult period, with the pandemic forcing the Jays to play “home” games in Buffalo and Dunedin before finally returning to Toronto last July.

Brewers: David Stearns’ contract has been the subject of great speculation in recent months, as the Mets were focused on poaching the president of baseball operations away from Milwaukee.  With Billy Eppler now inked to a four-year contract as the Mets’ new GM, it could be that Amazins could be moving away from Stearns, but several other teams might have interest if Stearns is indeed available anytime soon.  The exact length or nature of Stearns’ contract isn’t known, as 2022 might be his last guaranteed year, but there may be a vesting option of some type in place that would keep Stearns with the Brew Crew through the 2023 season.  For his own part, Stearns has said that he is happy with the Brewers, and owner Mark Attanasio obviously covets his PBO, as Attanasio has rejected all overtures from the Mets and other teams to interview Stearns.  There seems to be plenty of leverage on Stearns’ part to either work out another extension with the Brewers, or perhaps wait out the remainder of his deal in Milwaukee and then test the market for a new challenge.

Cubs: 2022 is the last guaranteed year of David Ross’ contract, though the Cubs have a club option for 2023.  It has been a tumultuous two years to begin Ross’ managerial career, between the pandemic, a first-place NL Central finish in 2020, and then a 91-loss season in 2021 after the Cubs went all-in on a rebuild.  However, the acquisitions of Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley are signs that Chicago is looking to compete next season, leaving Ross with the twin challenges of mentoring young talent and also winning some ballgames.  Given the long relationship between Ross and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, it doesn’t seem like Ross’ job is in much jeopardy, and an extension (even if just an early call on that 2023 option) wouldn’t be a shock.

Diamondbacks: Manager Torey Lovullo spent much of the 2021 season as a lame duck before signing an extension in September that covers 2022 and also provides the D’Backs with a club option for 2023.  Given how poorly the Diamondbacks have played over the last two seasons, this new deal gives the Snakes some flexibility to move on from Lovullo next fall, but obviously Lovullo wasn’t considered the reason for the team’s struggles.  There is also some uncertainty about Mike Hazen’s contract status, as the GM signed new multi-year contract of undisclosed length back in 2019, extending Hazen beyond 2020 (the endpoint of his original deal).  If Hazen’s contract is only guaranteed through 2022 and Arizona has another rough season next year, ownership might opt to replace both Hazen and Lovullo and start fresh.

Dodgers: 2022 is Dave Roberts’ last year under contract, as his current deal doesn’t contain any team options.  While Roberts’ postseason decision-making has sometimes been called into question by Los Angeles fans, he hardly bears sole responsibility, and it is also hard to argue with Roberts’ track record — a 542-329 record and a World Series title since taking the managerial job in November 2015.  There hasn’t been any indication that the Dodgers are dissatisfied with Roberts’ work, so another extension could be in the pipeline.

Guardians: While Terry Francona isn’t under contract beyond 2022, but team owner Paul Dolan has said that “I feel like we’re now in a situation where he’s going to be here until he decides not to manage.”  This puts the ball squarely in Francona’s court, as the veteran manager plans to return at least through next season after health problems limited his participation in both 2020 and 2021.  Also, the contract details of president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti aren’t publicly known, but there hasn’t been any indication that Dolan is looking move on from the longtime executive.

Marlins: Don Mattingly’s 2022 club option was picked up over the summer, putting “Donnie Baseball” in line for what will be his seventh season managing the Fish.  Much of that time has been spent overseeing a rebuilding team, but with Miami reaching the postseason in 2020 and now making some aggressive offseason moves, Mattingly and his staff will be facing some higher expectations.  The Marlins could opt to let at least some of the season play out before deciding on Mattingly’s future, or if they’re confident that Mattingly is the one to lead the Fish into an era of winning baseball, they could have some talks about a longer-term deal this spring.

Orioles: Executive VP/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde are each entering their fourth season with the team.  Hyde signed an extension last year that covers at least the 2022 season, while the initial length of Elias’ contract wasn’t known.  Even if 2022 is the last season of Elias’ deal, it doesn’t seem like Orioles ownership would cut him loose before the results of the club’s extensive rebuild have been at all realized.  The same could be said for Hyde, though it wouldn’t be the first time a rebuilding team has employed one manager to shepherd it through the tough years, and then hired another skipper when the club began to turn the corner towards contention.

Phillies: Joe Girardi is now entering the last guaranteed season of his initial three-year contract, and the Phillies hold a club option on the former World Series-winning manager for 2023.  An 82-80 record represented Philadelphia’s first winning season since 2011, though it was still an underwhelming result for a team heavy in high-priced stars.  Girardi himself hasn’t received much too much blame (at least by Philadelphia standards) for the Phils’ lack of success, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is on record as saying that Girardi “did a good job for us” last year.  There are some parallels to Maddon’s situation, as both he and Girardi are veteran skippers under win-now pressure for big-market teams, except Girardi doesn’t have the longstanding ties to Phillies ownership as Maddon does in Anaheim.  With the club option in mind, the Phils might see what 2022 entails before deciding on an extension for Girardi.

Pirates: This is a speculative entry, since the terms of Derek Shelton’s deal weren’t released when he was hired as Pittsburgh’s manager in November 2019.  If Shelton was given a three-year contract (a pretty standard pact for a first-time manager), he’d now be entering his last guaranteed year.  Since the Pirates are still rebuilding, Shelton isn’t under much pressure to start winning games immediately, so it doesn’t seem at this point like his job is in any danger.

Rangers: Another speculative case, as president of baseball operations Jon Daniels signed a contract extension back in June 2018, lengthening a deal that was set to expire at the end of the 2018 campaign.  If that extension happened to be a four-year pact, then, Daniels has only one year remaining.  While Daniels has spent much of his most recent contract rebuilding the roster, this winter’s massive spending splurge is a clear sign that Texas is ready to start winning.  One would guess that ownership wouldn’t sign off on hundreds of millions in player contracts if they had any misgivings about keeping Daniels around, so another extension wouldn’t be a surprise.  Daniels is quietly one of baseball’s longest-tenured front office bosses, as he has been running the Rangers’ baseball ops department since October 2005, when he was only 28 years old.

Rockies: Bud Black is entering his sixth and what might be his final year as Rockies manager, as his three-year contract expires at season’s end.  New GM Bill Schmidt has indicated that the team might explore a new deal with Black, and since Schmidt is a longtime member of Colorado’s front office, the Rockies might not have the disconnect that sometimes exists between an incumbent skipper and a new front office boss who wants their own hire running the dugout.  Even though owner Dick Monfort is known for his loyalty to familiar employees, managers don’t have quite as much slack — both Walt Weiss and Jim Tracy (Black’s predecessors) resigned from the Rockies’ managerial post after four seasons apiece.

Royals: Like Shelton, Mike Matheny was also hired following the 2019 season, so this would be the final guaranteed year of Matheny’s deal if he signed a three-year term.  That said, Matheny might have gotten a longer deal, owing to his past experience as manager of the Cardinals, and due to his standing as something of a manager-in-waiting in Kansas City with Ned Yost on the verge of retirement.  The Royals were aggressive last winter but managed only a 74-88 record in 2021, and if the team again doesn’t take a step forward, there could be some whispers about whether or not Matheny is the right choice for the manager’s job.  Then again, president of baseball operations Dayton Moore has traditionally been big on institutional loyalty, so Matheny’s job isn’t necessarily on the line if the Royals don’t at least crack the .500 mark.

Twins: Manager Rocco Baldelli received a four-year contract with multiple club options when he was hired following the 2018 season, so Baldelli is now entering his final guaranteed year.  The existence of those club options puts Baldelli under team control through at least 2024, yet while Baldelli isn’t a true lame duck, he does face some pressure in getting the Twins on track following a very disappointing season.  If the Twins underachieve again, Baldelli might be on the hot seat, though he did lead Minnesota to the postseason in his first two years as skipper.

White Sox: Another team that doesn’t publicize management contracts, both executive VP Kenny Williams and GM Rick Hahn signed extensions in 2017 of unspecified length.  Since that time, the duo has overseen a rebuild and a payroll increase that has thus far resulted in playoff appearances in both 2020 and 2021, though the White Sox have yet to win a series.  Though owner Jerry Reinsdorf is definitely aiming to capture another championship, it seems like it would take a major collapse for him to think about replacing Williams or Hahn, who have each been with the franchise for decades.  Depending on their contractual status, Williams and Hahn could even be in line for extensions, if such deals haven’t already quieted been inked.

Yankees: As any Bronx fan can tell you, the Yankees have gone 12 seasons without as much as an AL pennant, though the club has reached the playoffs nine times in that span and always posted winning records.  Despite this relative title drought by Yankees standards, owner Hal Steinbrenner appears satisfied with the work done by longtime GM Brian Cashman, and there doesn’t appear to be much chance of a front office change.  It may be quite a while before we hear whether or not Cashman is officially staying, as several of his contracts have been settled either around the end of the season, or sometimes well into the offseason.  Cashman’s last deal (a five-year, $25MM contract covering the 2018-22 campaigns) wasn’t fully put into place until December 2017.

Don Mattingly On Marlins’ Catching Situation

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The Marlins continue to be in the market for a catching upgrade, reports the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Skipper Don Mattingly more or less confirmed that’ll be a priority this winter, responding to questions about the team’s incumbent catching situation, noting that “It’s an area we’re looking at. It’s fairly safe to say it was some kind of message when we grabbed two catchers at the trade deadline.”

Mattingly’s rather plain assessment doesn’t bode well for the team’s current group of catchers, who combined for a wRC+ of 57 that ranked third-worst in all of baseball. Things weren’t much brighter on the defensive side of things either, as the unit posted -6 DRS.

Miami’s starting catcher, Jorge Alfaro, may find himself in the most trouble after posting -9 DRS and a 69 OPS+ over the past two seasons. The former Rangers and Phillies prospect has showed mixed progress in his tenure as a Marlin, as he has incrementally improved his year-over-year hard-hit rate and flashed a cannon that resulted in a 43% caught stealing rate. Still, Alfaro has regularly posted strikeout rates above 30%, has been walking less every year since 2018, and undid some of his defensive good by allowing a league-high 13 passed balls in 2021.

Further working against Alfaro is his rising salary through arbitration, for which he is eligible a second time this offseason. As a smaller market team, Miami is unlikely to dedicate a portion of its payroll to a player who is establishing a pattern of underperformance; a non-tender of Alfaro this offseason has seemed likely for quite some time.

With Alfaro’s stock dipping and #2 catcher Sandy Leon unlikely to be retained as well, the Marlins have playing time to spare at the position. In-house candidates include the aforementioned deadline pickups: Alex Jackson and Payton Henry. The former wasn’t able to replicate his most recent 1.060 OPS Triple-A performance while the latter couldn’t build on a more modest .741 OPS performance across the minors last year. Another Miami catcher, Nick Fortes, impressed offensively in a 14-game debut but also carries a limited track record of offensive prowess in the minors.

General manager Kim Ng and CEO Derek Jeter suggested last week the club anticipated dipping into the free agent market to address the team’s lackluster offense. As MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald recently explored, however, the upcoming offseason offers a very thin crop of options behind the dish.

That could suggest Miami’s more likely to turn to the trade market to add help from outside the organization. The Fish had some discussions with the Cubs regarding Willson Contreras last offseason, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the sides revisited those talks this winter with Chicago having torn down the big league roster substantially in recent months. Contreras is only one season away from free agency, though, and it’s arguable the Miami front office should focus more on longer-term options coming off a 67-95 campaign.

Turning to some other plausible trade candidates, teams figure to call the Diamondbacks regarding Carson Kelly and the Pirates about Jacob Stallings this winter, although it’s not clear either player will be made available. Both Arizona and Pittsburgh look hard-pressed to contend in 2022, but there’s no indication either of Kelly or Stallings proved attainable at this past summer’s trade deadline.

Kelly got off to a scorching start to the year before he fractured his wrist on a hit-by-pitch in mid-June. His production absolutely cratered upon his return, with the injury seemingly having a lingering impact on his power. It’d be relatively easy for Miami (or any other club) to talk themselves into Kelly regaining his early-season form after an offseason to recover, although the D-Backs’ front office may prefer to hang onto Kelly into next season in anticipation of a bounceback themselves. He’s entering his second of four years of arbitration eligibility and will be entitled to a raise on this season’s $1.7MM salary.

Stallings has been one of the game’s most reliable defensive catchers for the past few seasons. The 31-year-old rather remarkably didn’t commit a single passed ball in 892 innings last season (which would make for a marked change from Alfaro’s receiving issues). He also hit at a solid level for a catcher (.246/.335/.369 over 427 plate appearances). That’d make him an appealing trade target, but Stallings comes with an additional three seasons of arbitration control himself and Pittsburgh hasn’t seem inclined to move him in the past.

The Fish could also look into more creative trade possibilities. The Blue Jays have a glut of young catchers at or near the big league level; the Twins could make Mitch Garver available to open more regular playing time for Ryan Jeffers; the Mariners might listen on one of Tom Murphy or Luis Torrens with prospect Cal Raleigh at the big league level. It seems highly likely the Marlins will make some form of addition behind the plate, with Mattingly’s assessment of the situation only lending further credence to the idea of a forthcoming shakeup at the position.

COVID Notes: 7/31/21

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The latest on coronavirus situations from around baseball…

  • Marlins manager Don Mattingly has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced (MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola was among those to report the news).  Mattingly is experiencing some mild symptoms but has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.  Bench coach James Rowson will serve as acting manager while Mattingly is absent for the mandatory quarantine period.  Tests of other Marlins personnel revealed no other positive cases.
  • Brewers right-handers Hunter Strickland and Jake Cousins both tested positive for COVID-19, manager Craig Counsell told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt (Twitter links) and other reporters.  Righty Jandel Gustave is also not available due to contact tracing.  No official moves have been made in regards to the COVID-related injured list or roster replacements, though newly-acquired relievers John Curtiss and Daniel Norris are both on hand and could be activated for tonight’s game.  Counsell said that Strickland and Cousins both reported mild symptoms, and both relievers have been vaccinated.

Marlins Pick Up Don Mattingly’s Option For 2022 Season

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Don Mattingly will return as the Marlins’ manager in 2022. General manager Kim Ng announced on today’s broadcast that Mattingly’s mutual option for the 2022 campaign has been picked up by both parties (Twitter link, with video, via Bally Sports Florida).

Don Mattingly } Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

“Donnie’s been steady at the helm,” Ng said when asked about the job Mattingly has done. “I think that’s one of his greatest attributes. He’s incredibly patient. I think he’s got a great way with the young players. He’s very positive with them.”

The 2022 season will be Mattingly’s seventh as the Marlins’ manager. He joined the Fish in 2016 on the heels of a five-year run as the Dodgers’ skipper and has since managed the team to a 345-446 record. Of course, the manager of a club that has gone through yet another broad-reaching fire sale, turned over its front office and gone through an ownership change can’t be judged solely on wins and losses. Mattingly has stuck with the club through all of those sweeping changes, convincing multiple front offices and ownership groups alike that he’s the right person to be leading an up-and-coming Marlins club.

Mattingly’s Marlins made a surprise postseason bid last year in the expanded format and did so in spite of a Covid outbreak that gutted the roster and left him with a host of replacement players for several weeks. That unexpected playoff berth contributed to Mattingly’s first NL Manager of the Year win. His club toppled the NL Central champion Cubs in the Wild Card round of play before falling to the Braves in the NLDS.

The 2021 season hasn’t gone exactly according to plan for the Marlins, who’ve fallen into a prolonged stretch of losses and dropped to 38-47 in the standings. The loss of touted young right-hander Sixto Sanchez due to shoulder surgery has been a particularly tough hit for Miami, and they’ve also been without third baseman Brian Anderson and promising righty Elieser Hernandez for much of the 2021 campaign as well.

Still, there are some important pieces in place for the franchise moving forward. Jazz Chisholm is enjoying a nice season in the middle infield, and the Marlins’ rotation has the makings of an impressive group, headlined by Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and 2021 Rookie of the Year candidate Trevor Rogers. Miami has several interesting prospects just breaking into the Majors or on the cusp of doing so, including outfielders Jesus Sanchez and JJ Bleday. Last year’s first-round pick, righty Max Meyer, has utterly dominated the Double-A level and could be a quick-to-the-Majors arm.

Mattingly will get the chance to work with that upcoming wave of talent, and if all goes according to plan next season, it wouldn’t at all be a surprise to see Ng, principal owner Bruce Sherman and CEO Derek Jeter extend Mattingly beyond the 2022 campaign.

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