Inside Baseball: Ins and outs of Mattingly's exit

In the day or two after the Dodgers’ season ended with a disheartening 3-2 defeat at Chavez Ravine to the Mets in the NLDS, and less than a week before the Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways Wednesday, it appeared to at least some parties that Mattingly would be coming back for 2016. But as the days went by, the sides talked and thought more, and the enthusiasm waned to keep things going the way they were.

There was some point in which a potential extension was casually mentioned, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reported, but it isn’t known how much the team’s heart was in it. Same goes for Mattingly, who was said to have felt dismayed at times over the negative reaction from some in Dodger Nation to seasons with divisions titles followed by unfulfilling playoff performances.

Mattingly, respected in the clubhouse and as hard-working and prepared as they come, was perhaps the most over-criticized manager in the game. Yet, he won three straight division titles with teams that had bullpen issues, injury epidemics (they had four key guys out together with hamstring trouble simultaneously) and occasional overcrowding in the outfield.

The record $300-million payroll was often cited publicly as a way to slap Mattingly, but the reality is that that wholly overblown figure included about $100 million in pay for guys who are elsewhere or done, and much more for others like Carl Crawford who are overpaid. He was no Teflon Don.

By Wednesday, both sides believed it was better to move on than to be “60-to-70 percent” committed to each other. Mattingly grew up in a Yankees organization that featured that same mindset as he sensed from Dodger Nation, but that doesn’t mean he totally buys into it: that is that one team succeeds while 29 fail. He is said to want a chance to enjoy the pursuit of a title more than he has in LA.

Mattingly was extremely well-liked throughout the Dodgers organization for his down-to-Earth persona and unquestioned integrity, so the decision to part ways surely brought some melancholy to not just Mattingly but also the decisionmakers, as well. And yet, for both parties it was very likely the correct call.

The new Dodgers regime, led by president Andrew Friedman and GM Farhan Zaidi, gets to pick their own guy after inheriting Ned Colletti’s manager. And while Mattingly is nothing if not a good employee and was said to accept many or most of the lineup choices that came from above, the relatively new brass presumably can find a new-school type who may more enthusiastically buy into the idea of front-office-driven batting orders and the like.

Meanwhile, Mattingly appears to have an excellent chance to find an employer who may show more faith in his decisionmaking ability. Four other teams have managerial openings, but as was first reported here several weeks ago, the Marlins have strong interest in Mattingly. In fact, it appears they are so intrigued by Mattingly that they’d already put their managerial search on a semi-hold. They have interviewed at least five men, but it’s pretty clear they weren’t hiring anyone until Mattingly’s situation was resolved.

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria seeks experience, and Mattingly got five years of it in a pressure cooker environment in LA. The New Yorker Loria also happens to have a long-standing relationship with Mattingly, the Yankee great. The Marlins have interviewed Manny Acta, Bo Porter, Alex Cora, Phil Nevin and Mattingly’s good buddy Larry Bowa. But the search may take a complete turn with the sudden availability of Mattingly.

So in Miami Mattingly has a chance to become the owners’ “guy,” to make out his own lineup cards and to maybe even gain some authority over roster decisions. Of course, Mattingly very much liked the Dodgers ownership group led by Mark Walter and Todd Boehly, as well as Friedman and his guys, and Loria hasn’t always kept warm relationships with his managers forever. (He fired another Yankee, Joe Girardi, after one year, the year Girardi won Manager of the Year.)

Mattingly’s next stop could be in Miami. (USATSI)

But right now, it may be worth taking that chance. An opportunity at some real autonomy may seem appealing. Being the inherited guy isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.

In the meantime, Friedman and Co. get to hand-pick a manager of their choosing. And this could get interesting.

As was mentioned in this space a week ago, the former outfielder/former broadcaster Gabe Kapler is beloved by the Dodgers brass as future saber star. (Kapler was put in charge of Dodgers spring nutrition for obvious reasons – he looks like a bodybuilder – and he is said to have taken a sabermetrician’s bent to even that; he was caught counting fruit in spring training.)

But it’s very early in the process. Others who’ll get some play here include Bud Black, two-time Manager of the Year with the Padres, plus at least two from their own field staff, ex-Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and long-time Dodgers coach Tim Wallach. It’s a plum job, and they’ll draw lots of outside interest, as well, very likely from the likes of at least ex-Dodger star Dusty Baker, who managed the Giants, Cubs and Reds and is a quick learner who’s been brushing up on his saber studies.

Baker and Black both interviewed with the Nats, another coveted job where both fit perfectly, and this could get complicated as both men are West Coast guys (Black lives in San Diego, Baker in Northern California), so LA could have its geographic advantage. The Nats’ exhaustive managerial list also includes ex-Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, Nevin, Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, Cora, Diamondbacks coach Andy Green and Wallach, a veritable Who’s Who of managerial hopefuls. This is a wise way to go as last time GM Mike Rizzo rushed into hiring the inexperienced Matt Williams, which worked well for a year before flaming out spectacularly in year two.

Meanwhile, the Mariners assembled an eclectic group, with at least longtime executive Scott Servais plus the under-the-radar long-time Padres coach Dave Roberts making it back to the second round. Servais appears to be the leading candidate and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports he will get the job and could be announced as the new manager on Friday. New GM Jerry Dipoto may see the value of the A.J. Hinch route, whereby then Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes, who’s now with Friedman in LA, took a smart former MLB player out of the front office and made him a manager; while Hinch was never given a chance by some old-school scouts in Arizona, he has emerged as a coming star in Houston.

The Padres, meantime, also have shown interest in Servais, who knew San Diego GM A.J. Preller in Texas, plus Gardenhire, Nevin, Cora, Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield and possibly Padres exec Moises Alou (though friends doubt he’s ready to travel to manage).

A lot of the same names — good ones, mind you, like Nevin and Cora — are popping up just about everywhere. But a big new one officially entered this drama, and Mattingly has really made things interesting.

Atlanta will seek to bolster its bullpen after an abysmal season from its relievers, especially after Jason Grilli went down with injury.
They have a lot of interesting decisions to make, and considering their excellent group of free agents (Chris Davis, Wei-Yin Chen, Matt Wieters, Darren O’Day), one rival GM opined, “They may have more holes to fill than anyone.” … Another GM thought it would be a big risk to give Wieters the $15.8-million qualifying offer, as Wieters could become the first player to take it. Agent Scott Boras is generally opposed to accepting one-year deals for talented free agents, but that’s a big number for the year he had (and also for Baltimore), and perhaps Wieters believes he can enhance his value by putting together big year as a healthier player in Camden Yard, an excellent hitters park. Sometimes, Boras espouses what he calls a “pillow” contract, a short deal that designed as a soft landing for the player.
Boston is said to be more willing than in past years to trade top prospects to get the ace they need, and that may have something to do with Dave Dombrowski taking over for Ben Cherington. After two straight off years, there is an urgency to win, and they must get a top-of-the-rotation starter. It’s a decent year to be looking for one considering the star-studded free agent list. But they have the prospects to make deals, as well. Word is they won’t touch infielder Yoan Moncada, center fielder Andrew Benintendi and right-handed pitcher Anderson Espinoza. Other than that trio, it is believed Boston would listen … Red Sox people think Hanley Ramirez got a little too power conscious after his nice start with homers. In any case, they want him to lose weight so he’s agile enough to convert to first base … Someone should take a look at hitting coach Chili Davis for manager. Now that would really be an inspired choice … Great news to hear that manager John Farrell’s lymphoma is in remission, They caught it early, which is also great to hear. He will return to his job as manager in 2016.
Perhaps no team improved more than the Cubs this year, but the NLCS illuminated a need for another starting pitcher or two. David Price, Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto should be pitchers they consider, and Jordan Zimmermann, from neighboring Wisconsin, is someone who’s piqued their interest in the past.
The South Siders are said back looking at third-base options, a long-time area of concern for the team of Robin Ventura, who himself was an excellent third baseman for the White Sox … They also will seek a catching help, as Tyler Flowers tailed off in the second half last year … Since the White Sox haven’t suggested much interest in shortstop, there’s a belief they may pick up the $10-million option of Alexei Ramirez, who bounced back off a terrible first half to perform closer to his norm in the second half. They like him on the team.
Some believe the Reds may “blow things up.” Not a terrible idea in their case … Jay Bruce has some value, but If part of rebuilding plan might be to trade Brandon Phillips, he is said to have “negative value.” While Phillips didn’t like the fact superstar Joey Votto was paid so much more than him, all those monster contracts for a small-market team are a bit inhibiting for the rest of the roster.
Cleveland is taking a look at the outfield and is said to have some interest in Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna, who had a rough first half last year and may be considered trade bait (though Marlins GM Michael Hill is on record saying he wants to keep him). Anyway, center field and right are possible target areas.
Jose Reyes, who doesn’t want to be in Colorado anyway, can’t feel great seeing the Blue Jays make it all the way to the ALCS (and maybe beyond).
Houston went from MLB’s worst bullpen a couple years running to middle of the pack, and now would like to upgrade there again. The best solution would be to get a shut-down closer, and move gutsy Luke Gregerson to the eight-inning role.
The Royals won’t be able to tender Greg Holland a contract since he’d receive more than his $8.25 million 2014 salary via arbitration and he won’t be back until at least August. But they could try to work out another arrangement or even a two-year deal.
While David Murphy‘s $7-million option is reasonable, don’t put it past the Angels to go for a bigger hitter for left — perhaps Alex Gordon or Chris Davis … Paul Sorrento and Chris Hansen may be candidates for Angels hitting coach.
They have some serious rotation questions and will try to keep Zack Greinke, who will use his extremely well-timed opt-out to double (or more) the $71 million over three years he has left. Grienke is said to be enjoying the Dodgers clubhouse more than he has in the past, though both he and ace Clayton Kershaw are probably disappointed that manager Don Mattingly and the team parted ways. Both aces loved Mattingly … One player not disappointed to see a managerial change is Yasiel Puig, who generally wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with Mattingly, according to people around the team. Puig seems to have matured a bit, though his play slipped this year. He apparently didn’t like the uncertainty of the lineups (though realistically, many lineup suggestion came from the front office) … The Dodgers need improved offense, and perhaps a full year from Corey Seager plus improved hitting for Puig and Joc Pederson will go along way toward accomplishing that, But folks aren’t ruling out a possible trade of Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier, which could allow LA to compete for a big-hitting outfielder such as Justin Upton or perhaps even Chris Davis.
The Miami are said to seek another frontline pitcher to go with ace Jose Fernandez at the top of their rotation. Still not sure why they passed on Carlos Rodon a couple years bac. He would have been the perfect Cuban complement.
Minnesota is expected to look to bring back veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who had another fine offensive year with the bat in Atlanta (who also may be interested). Pierzynski and Kurt Suzuki would make a decent lefty-righty combo behind the plate … The Twins like the idea of getting the old gang back together, and is also hoping that Torii Hunter will return even if he isn’t ticketed to be a starter. He should still get decent playing time, unless top Byron Buxton takes a leap forward off his rough rookie year.
Milwaukee could be sellers this winter, with even excellent catcher Jonathan Lucroy seen as a possibility to be moved — though one competing GM opined, “They may have waited a year too long.” Lucroy’s value was sky-high a year ago, and there may be some concussion concern with him … Jean Segura certainly looks like potential trade bait, though he didn’t help them with his season. Orlando Arcia is one of the two or three best shortstop prospects in baseball and some think he’s ready.
With folks figuring it’s unlikely the Mets pay the $150-million plus it’ll take to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes, it says here it would be smart to bring back Daniel Murphy. It would be hard to lose both the Nos. 3 and 4 hitters. While Murphy was never seen as a favorite of the new regime due to his lack of walks and only average on-base percentage, he’s shown he can hit the best pitching and could actually be a bargain at $40-million for four years, if that’s the price. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post pointed out, he’s a better player than Chase Headley who got $52 million for four years. Of course, as was reported here first, the Mets will give Murphy the $15.8-million qualifying offer now, which could slightly hinder his free agency (and help them), If the plan is to go with Dilson Herrera at second to save money, that’s a bad plan … The Mets are likely to look at shortstops and bullpen help this winter … Not only does Omar Minaya’s regime deserve credit for all the great players they procured (three quarters of the vaunted foun-man rotation plus closer Jeurys Familia to make it four of the top five pieces), Minaya also brought manager Terry Collins into the organization originally as a development guy and also pitching coach Dan Warthen, who’s helped pull it all together.
St. Louis is expected to try to re-sign Jason Heyward, a worthwhile endeavor since it gave up Shelby Milller and Tyrell Jenkins to get him. While the Cardinals could go a bit beyond the team record $120-million deal that Matt Holliday got, Heyward is certainly going to insist on beating Jacoby Ellsbury‘s $153-million deal and getting as close to $200 million as possible.
The Giants have to feel very good about their stars Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, plus their fine infield, but they will seek to bolster the rotation with one or two arms. Greinke and Mike Leake are among those on the docket … The Giants will pick up the $5.5-million option of Nori Aoki presuming he continues to heal (he was hit in the head twice by pitches in the second half following his very nice start in San Francisco). Aoki wouldn’t mind going back there, either … The Giants plan to turn down Marlon Byrd‘s $8-million option, which has no buyout attached to it.
Their big work was done at the deadline with the acquisition of Cole Hamels but they have a little work to do on the rotation with Yovani Gallardo and Colby Lewis free agents and concern for Derek Holland who had a rough finish (4-3, 4.91).
There is no expectation David Price will be brought back after this odd postseason for him in which he’s playing second fiddle to recovered rookie Marcus Stroman. Even though Toronto is a nice city for Price, there are too many reasons he’ll wind up elsewhere. One more is that the Blue Jays aren’t expected to go near the expected asking price of $200-million plus … The Jays will be seeking rotation help, even if they try to put talented youngster Aaron Sanchez back in the rotation. Marco Estrada, like Price, is a free agent, and the expectation is that Mark Buehrle will retire (though his feelings on that seem to depend on who’s asking him the question) … There were questions about Kevin Pillar‘s offense coming into the season, but check out his splits; . 279 on grass, .278 on turf .278 vs. lefties, .278 vs. righties, .278 pre-All-Star game, .278 post All-Star Game. If anyone guesses he hit .exactly 278 for the year, they win a prize (a small one).
The Nats are expected to try to trade Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon (good luck with that second one). Storen absolutely has to go after the team showed what they thought of him as a closer by bringing in Papelbon to replace him. They really need a bullpen makeover … The Nats have way more questions than last year. Trea Turner is seen as the shortstop of the future but he may still be a half year away. Michael Taylor may or may not be ready in center field and they lose Zimmermann out of the rotation, as well as Doug Fister. Tanner Roark did an excellent job in the rotation in 2014, but like many Nats, he wasn’t quite the same this year.

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