Freed from Marlins, Dan Jennings lands in Nationals front office
Former Marlins executive and manager Dan Jennings is back on his feet and back in a more comfortable position after agreeing to join the Washington Nationals front office on Friday.
Jennings will serve as an assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo, according to multiple reports. FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi was the first to report an agreement was in place.
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Jennings’ new gig marks a new beginning after a tumultuous tenure with the Miami Marlins. Jennings had been with Miami since 2002, serving as everything from vice president of player personnel to assistant general manager. In 2013, Jennings was promoted to general manager after Michael Hill was promoted to president of baseball operations. Jennings then concluded his time in Miami in multiple roles, including that of manager, leading the Marlins to a 55-69 finish last season after Mike Redmond was fired in May.
Jennings was officially relieved of all duties with Miami following the season, putting a cap on an at time chaotic tenure and further highlighting the dysfunction that seemingly runs rampant in the Marlins organization.
Known as a strong talent-evaluating scout, Jennings was perhaps in over his head as GM and was clearly miscast as an on-field manager . He had no prior managing or coaching experience at any level, meaning he jumped into the fire feet first. Though willing to take the challenge, he was not prepared for the assignment. As a result, a Marlins season that was already spiraling had no real shot at recovery. They finished fourth place in the NL East with 71 wins.
Now Jennings will look to get back on track in a role that’s more familiar and obviously better suited for his skills. His official title will be special assistant to the GM, which means he’s back in the talent evaluating game where he’s excelled. The Nationals say he’ll be focusing on all facets of the scouting operations and reporting to Rizzo.
That Nationals seem like a good fit too after they’ve failed to reach expectations the past few reasons. Having a new, respected voice lending an opinion on roster structure and potential future targets could help them complete the championship puzzle. Finding talent was never an issue for Jennings in Miami. Consistent backing from ownership was, and that’s something that should be much better in Washington.
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Jennings will also be competing in the same division as Miami, which would no doubt make his successes in Washington all the more satisfying. And much of that could come while he’s still cashing checks from Miami. They still owe him a portion of the $5.6 million remaining on his deal which runs through the 2018 season.
Though Jennings remained a loyal employee throughout his Miami tenure, we can only imagine the relief he’s feeling now that he can put that behind him and move forward with a team focused on and still positioned to win a World Series championship.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
