The Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly have mutually agreed to part ways, according to ESPN sources familiar with the situation and published reports.
Mattingly had one year remaining on his contract, and sources indicated to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that the Dodgers offered him an extension this past weekend. But after years of uncertainty about the Dodgers' long-term commitment to him -- Mattingly has worked under two different ownership groups and two different general managers -- he informed the team earlier this week that he preferred to move on.
Sources told Shelburne that several teams -- including the Miami Marlins -- would be interested in Mattingly.
After a week of discussions with the Dodgers, sources indicated that Mattingly simply felt he'd be more comfortable working for a front office and ownership group that had hired him, instead of constantly trying to adapt to someone else's vision.
Unlike two years ago, when Mattingly had a very public tiff with the Dodgers after then-general manager Ned Colletti declined to announce at a season-ending news conference that an option year on his contract had vested -- thereby casting him as a lame-duck manager following an NL Championship Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals -- sources indicated that these discussions were remarkably civil.
Mattingly, 54, was hired by the Dodgers to replace Joe Torre in 2011. The team won 55 percent of its regular-season games in his four seasons (446-363). He led the Dodgers to three straight NL West titles, a first in franchise history. But pressure has mounted on the entire organization as the Dodgers failed to advance out of the first round the past two seasons despite having the highest payroll in baseball.
After last year's meltdown against the Cardinals, Dodgers ownership revamped the front office by building a veritable think tank of the top analytic minds in baseball. Andrew Friedman was hired away from the Tampa Bay Rays to be the Dodgers' new president of baseball operations. Farhan Zaidi left the Oakland Athletics to become the Dodgers' new general manager.
The new front office quickly proceeded to overhaul the roster, trading away fan favorites Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon to create a more versatile, younger and deeper 40-man roster in a dizzying series of moves at last year's winter meetings. It continued to make moves during the season to bolster the bullpen and back end of the rotation after Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but both remained areas of uncertainty throughout the year.
While Mattingly enjoyed a strong professional relationship with the new front office, sources indicate there was never a strong philosophical synergy between them.
Still Mattingly remained very popular with the team's players. Said ace Kershaw in an interview with Time Warner Cable's SportsNet Los Angeles, "I'm in Donnie's corner, too. I love Donnie, known him for long time, played for him and Joe [Torre], the only two managers I've played for. Obviously I have a ton of respect for him. It would be good to have him back as well."
After their initial organizational meetings last week, the Dodgers intended to bring back Mattingly next season and offer him an extension on his current deal. Instead, Mattingly decided he'd be more comfortable elsewhere.
