The Dodgers and manager Don Mattingly announced a mutual “parting of the ways” Thursday, ending his five-year run as the team’s skipper.
Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations, said he and Mattingly had a series of discussions after the Dodgers were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Mets.
“As the dialogue progressed daily, it evolved to a point where we all agreed that it might be best for both sides to start fresh,” Friedman said. “We decided to think about it for a couple of days and when we spoke again, we felt comfortable that this was the direction to go.”
Mattingly, 54, said he was “honored and proud to have had the opportunity to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers.” But he said he believes “this is the right time and right move for both parties.”
“I’m still very passionate about managing and hope to get the opportunity in the near future,” he said. “In the meantime, I want to thank the Dodger organization, the city and our fans for the opportunity and wish the club well going forward.”
The Dodgers have won three straight National League West Division titles for the first time in team history, but each time fell short of reaching the World Series.
Mattingly had a 446-363 record as the Dodgers manager. As a player, he was a first baseman for the New York Yankees, and he originally joined the Dodgers as a coach under former Yankees skipper Joe Torre.
Among the names surfacing as possible replacements for Mattingly are team coaches Tim Wallach and Ron Roenicke, plus Gabe Kapler, the club’s director of player development, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Chicago Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez and former San Diego Padres manager Bud Black are also considered possibilities, the Times reported.
—City News Service