The Miami Marlins are said to be in “serious talks” with Hall Of Fame manager Don Mattingly regarding the club’s current vacant opening for the managerial position, as reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
At this point in time, it is very likely that it will indeed happen as the two sides are said to be ready to discuss contract terms. As noted by Heyman, Mattingly has been owner Jeffrey Loria’s top choice from the start.
The news comes a week after having parted ways with the Los Angeles Dodgers after having managed the club for the past 5 years.
Mattingly was in Miami on Monday for a second interview and sources have told Heyman it went “extremely well” with both parties impressed.
Loria has been a fan of Mattingly since his days in New York, and had him on their list of possibilities while waiting to see how things would turn out with him and the Dodgers who were conflicted leading up to the final decision.
Other candidates who have been interviewed by the Marlins include former major league managers Manny Acta, Larry Bowa, and Bo Porter. The next manager will be Loria's seventh since June 2010.
Mattingly was unable to lead his team past the NLDS in his final year in Los Angeles, yet he had a rather successful season as also has done in the past while handling those with big contracts to the best of his abilities. Mattingly finished his time in Los angels with a winning percentage of .511.
As noted by MLBTradeRumors, The Marlins present something of a different challenge given the fact that they own a much lower payroll and do not happen to get as much media attention as opposed to other clubs; however, keeping a manager in place for more than one season has been proven to be a challenge under the watch of Jeffrey Loria both with the Marlins and the Montreal Expos previously.
A few to name include Ozzie Guillen, Mike Redmond, and Dan Jennings. As Heyman notes, the Dodgers remain on the hook for the remaining $1.6MM owed to Mattingly under his prior contract. MLB is not fond of big announcements during the World Series, so it isn't known when something could be made official once the Marlins complete a deal with Mattingly. With his new deal completed sometime in the near future, it could “easily top” what he was getting over the span of time in which he spent in Los Angeles.
The Marlins look to get off to a better start with Mattingly in the dugout after finishing the 2015 season with a loosing record of 71-91, recording their sixth consecutive loosing season.