Over the weekend, it was reported that Don Mattingly won’t return in 2023 to manage the Miami Marlins.
On Sunday, Mattingly said that he and team officials decided a new voice is needed to lead the team in the future.
“Donnie Baseball’s” contract expires after the World Series.
The former New York Yankees star as a player stated he met with Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman and general manager Kim Ng to discuss the future, and all parties agreed it’s time for a change.
Everything happened on friendly terms, unlike most team-manager divorces.
“Normally when a Manager is dismissed or resigns there is some salacious story to tell. Not this time. I thought the Marlins and Don Mattingly handled this perfectly today. It will fly under the radar but I thought it was well thought out and executed,” Marlins insider Craig Mish tweeted on Sunday night.
Normally when a Manager is dismissed or resigns there is some salacious story to tell. Not this time. I thought the Marlins and Don Mattingly handled this perfectly today. It will fly under the radar but I thought it was well thought out and executed.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) September 26, 2022
The Marlins Have Been Mediocre The Past Two Years
After making the playoffs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the Marlins have returned to mediocrity in 2021 and 2022.
Mattingly deserves at least part of the blame, but the organization also didn’t want to spend too much and that always complicates things.
Recent struggles are on the ownership, too.
Mattingly goes with a 437-583 record and a paltry .428 winning percentage, although those numbers will change since he is expected to finish out the 2022 season at the helm.
His Marlins made it to the 2020 postseason with a 31-29 mark (even winning the Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs), but both 2021 (67-95) and 2022 (63-89) have been a failure.
Fans will remember him as a true gentleman who always wanted the best for the franchise.
However, for now, it’s time to move on.
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