LOS ANGELES – According to multiple reports including NBC Sports and ESPN, the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to mutually part ways with manager Don Mattingly on Thursday.
Mattingly was under contract for the 2016 season, but apparently the two sides could not reach an agreement on an extension and have agreed it's time to go their separate ways.
Mattingly's departure comes as a surprise to many after his success as skipper over the past five seasons. Mattingly departs the Dodgers after a 446-363 record in Los Angeles and three consecutive NL West Division titles, a feat that had never been accomplished in franchise history.
However, the team with the largest payroll in baseball has high expectations, one of those being at least one World Series berth in those past three postseason appearances, a milestone that Mattingly simply could not reach.
In Mattingly's defense, general manager Farhan Zaidi said that perhaps Mattingly's greatest job in his tenure with the Dodgers was his ability to manage the clubhouse and their quote on quote, "difficult personalities."
A team equipped with egos, attitudes, and Yasiel Puig can be a difficult task for any manager to function as a team, but Mattingly has been able to navigate the storms, keeping everything calm and in perspective throughout the seasons at Chavez Ravine.
The postseason pitfalls were not always Mattingly's fault. In 2013, injuries to Hanley Ramirez, and a bittersweet extra innings loss in Game 1 of the NLCS, all but sealed the Dodgers fate. In 2014, MVP Clayton Kershaw collapsed under the bright lights of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dodgers' bullpen was not equipped to pick up the slack.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
In 2015, Mattingly won the NL West, despite a rash of injuries to starters Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, relegating Brett Anderson as the Dodgers third starter, a glaring weakness that the world saw exposed during Game 3 of the NLDS in New York. Ultimately, Mattingly's Dodgers took the now World Series bound NY Mets to five games, losing the final game and the series, 3-2.
Mattingly is expected to be the primary candidate for the Miami Marlins head coaching vacancy, reuniting him with second baseman Dee Gordon. As for the Dodgers, suddenly this has become a very interesting offseason as the search for a new manager begins now.
mattingly and the dodgers have what's described as a "mutual parting." FO treated him well, long-term support wasnt strong — Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) October 22, 2015
