Dodgers rumors: Don Mattingly ‘intends to honor’ 2014 contract, per agent
The skipper is still looking a multi-year deal, but won’t step out of his standing contract just yet.
Whether Mattingly’s actions will reflect his intentions when all is said and done remains to be seen, though team president Stan Kasten firmly believes Mattingly will be in Dodger blue next year, as he told Hernandez:
“I always thought that. Absolutely.”
The third-year manager has yet to sit down with Kasten to discuss his future with the club, so there’s still a chance that Mattingly will decide to take his managerial skills elsewhere for 2014.
Mattingly is reportedly looking for a multi-year deal from the Dodgers to give him a bit more job security. If the club decides against a multi-year contract, there's a chance Mattingly would consider filling the managerial vacancies with the Nationals, Mariners or Cubs. However, it doesn't sound like Kasten thinks the situation will reach that point:
“I’m anticipating a happy ending.”
The Dodgers aren't expected to address the matter publicly until after the World Series, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN LA, so it could be a while until the situation resolves itself. Mattingly's agent is hopeful that his client can touch base with Kasten "within a few days," but doesn't have a concrete timetable.
When the Dodgers reached the Championship Series two weeks ago, it appeared as though Mattingly had the manager gig in Hollywood locked up for the near future. Shortly after the series ended, however, Donnie Baseball indicated he might not return to the club next season if it meant working on another one-year deal.
Mattingly served as a “lame-duck” manager of sorts in 2013. His current three-year contract was set to expire at the end of the year unless the Dodgers made it all the way through the division series, which they ultimately did. When the club reached the NLCS, a one-year option on Mattingly’s contract vested, putting him in a similar do-or-die scenario next season.
