Don Mattingly Aims To End Miami Marlins' Managerial Merry-Go-Round
MIAMI (AP) — Don Mattingly wants to end to the Miami Marlins' managerial merry-go-round.
"I signed a four-year deal," he said at a news conference Monday. "I plan on being here at least 10."
That would be a big change for the Marlins, who introduced Mattingly as their seventh manager since June 2010. He was hired last week, and the announcement was delayed until after the World Series.
"We committed that we wanted this to be the last manager's press conference we ever did," team president David Samson said. "We've done too many."
Mattingly parted last month with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and with the change in jobs, he'll face a big adjustment regarding resources. The Dodgers led the majors by far this year with a payroll of $289.6 million at the end of the regular season; Miami ranked last at $64.9 million, and the Marlins plan only a small increase in 2016.
Mattingly said the tight budget doesn't bother him.
"The consensus around baseball is that this is a talented club with a good core that has a chance to grow and develop," he said. "For me, that was the single biggest thing — the chance to develop, teach and mold a young club and build toward winning the division and winning the championship."
The Marlins went 71-91 this year, their sixth consecutive losing season, but were riddled by injuries. The roster is led by slugger Giancarlo Stanton, ace Jose Fernandez and NL batting champion Dee Gordon.
Mattingly went 446-363 in five years with the Dodgers and won the NL West the past three years, but he went 8-11 in the postseason and did not reach the World Series.
He becomes owner Jeffrey Loria's first high-profile managerial hire since Ozzie Guillen four years ago. Guillen was fired after one troubled season, and his four-year contract just came off the books.
Mattingly was a six-time All-Star and a .307 hitter with the New York Yankees from 1982 to 1995. Loria is a New Yorker and Yankees fan.
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