While I loved as a player I can say he wasn’t as great a manager but good enough to keep during the growing pains of rebuilding, and wishing he would get better over those seven years.
Three dismantlement, and rebuilding later and he’s still not good and this past season is by far one of the worst in team or MLB history. A team loaded with talent which seems like it was fighting to end up in last place not first.
He made a lot of bad moves as a manager but he was mostly often failed by bad moves in the front office and this past year was the same! Forced to tale on 3 big bloated contracts from OF which couldn’t hit all year he was forced to play these guys over young talented rookies which would have done a better job at these positions. Also if you’re in rebuild mode why would you spend all that money on these 3 contracts which A is a catcher known to NOT be able to hit but has a swell glove? You already had a better option in a Nick Fortes who can hit, and also sports a nice glove. Sure not a GOLD ONE yet but give him time. Also with a plethora of OF Depth why would you sign “Soler, and Garcia” ? These moves make no sense. Jeter left town cause he didn’t like these moves either but he wanted to throw Millions at NICK
CASTELLANOS who also would have been a bad move from looking at it. They should have just developped OF from the players they had, and saved the money to keep their pitching.
Besides ACE Sandy Alcantara the team is loaded with good young arms which are still going thru growing pains and developing. Oh It’s find Don is leaving after all Jeter left so might as well start new next year so with that said can we ditch the rest of this horrible front office? Bruce Sherman if you won’t sell the team AT LEAST ditch [general manager] Kim Ng, She’s horrible.
Now here is the press out off MIAMI:
Manager Don Mattingly and the Marlins have mutually agreed that he will not return for the 2023 season, the team announced on Sunday afternoon.
“We are fortunate to have had Don Mattingly leading our team on the field over the last seven years,” chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman said in a statement. “He has represented the Marlins, our players, our fans, and the South Florida community with unmatched dignity and pride. Over the course of our recent conversations with Don, we both agreed not to pursue a new contract for the 2023 season and that the time is right for a new voice to lead our clubhouse.”
“After meeting with Mr. Sherman and discussing with [general manager] Kim Ng, all parties agreed that it was time for a new voice for the organization,” Mattingly said in a statement. “I am proud and honored to have served as manager of the Marlins for the past seven years and have enjoyed my experiences and relationships I’ve developed within the organization. I look forward to spending time with my family in Evansville, and to any future endeavors.”
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 25, 2022
The longest-tenured and winningest skipper in franchise history, Mattingly entered the series finale against the Nationals with a 437-583 record (.428 winning percentage) in seven seasons. After five years with the Dodgers from 2011-15, during which he led the club to three straight National League West titles, he signed a four-year deal in November 2015 to become the 15th manager in Marlins history, when the organization had a roster including the late José Fernández as well as future MVPs Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich.
But a rebuilding stage began under the current ownership group soon after, and Mattingly didn’t reach the playoffs with Miami until the 2020 COVID-19-shortened campaign, helping the franchise snap a 16-year postseason drought in its only winning season under his tutelage. He went on to win National League Manager of the Year that season.
In September 2019, Mattingly signed a two-year contract extension with a mutual option for ’22 (it was his idea to have a deadline for it) that was exercised July ‘21, meaning he is not under contract for next season.
It has been a disappointing 2022 for the Marlins (63-89), who expected to contend in the competitive NL East but sustained a multitude of injuries to the likes of All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. and more, as well as the underperformance of marquee signing Avisaíl García.
Asked whether the outcome might have been different had the season gone differently, Ng said it’s “always a consideration” because it’s an “outcomes-based industry.”
“When you have a season like this one, where everyone is really disappointed at the end of the year, the outcomes, I think you reflect quite a bit — and a lot of self-reflection, I think, on everybody’s part,” Ng said. “It was through conversations we all just got to the same place, which is that Donnie wasn’t going to pursue a contract for ‘23 and we were not going to pursue a contract for ‘23.”
When asked about Sherman mentioning a new voice to lead, Ng later added, “I didn’t sense any disconnect. I watched the club intently the last couple of months, and they’re still playing hard. But sometimes somebody new adds a little bit something different, and that clicks. Again, I think between all parties, this was just the way we decided to go.”
What this means for the rest of Mattingly’s coaching staff has yet to be determined because the organization’s focus had been on the conversations that led to Sunday. As for the next manager, Ng said it is important but not a prerequisite that they have Major League experience. The Marlins want someone in as soon as possible.
So why Sunday with 10 games left in the season?
“I don’t know that there’s ever a good day for this type of thing,” Ng said. “In order for Don to also say goodbye to people, it’s hard to do the day after the season. So today was fine, and tomorrow’s an off-day. It gives everyone a little bit of a chance to breathe.”
