Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Mattingly in limbo?
By Doug Mittler
Last fall, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly asked the club to exercise his one-year option for 2014, and the club politely declined, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times reported last week.
As Plaschke correctly surmises, that calls into question whether Mattingly will be working on a relatively short leash in 2013. With a payroll in excess of $200 million and a star-studded roster that added Zack Greinke this winter, someone will have to take the fall if the season falls short of the lofty expectations.
GM Ned Colletti, who was given a multiyear extension in the fall, insists Mattinglty’s contract status is not an issue and will be addressed at some point. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com predicts the Dodgers will deal with it "sooner rather than later," especially since it has the potential to undercut Mattingly's authority in the clubhouse.
Rosenthal says club officials "quietly rave" about Mattingly, so this looks like something that could get done during spring training.
