Mattingly unsure of his future with Dodgers
Although Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly acknowledged on Monday that his 2014 contract option vested with a first-round playoff victory over the Atlanta Braves, he is still unsure whether he will be the team's manager next season, multiple media outlets reported.
Mattingly seems to be interested to obtaining a multiyear contract extension. He said the Dodgers put him in a difficult position with the players by having him manage the 2013 season while in the final year of his contract.
"When you're put in this situation, the organization basically says, 'We don't know if you can manage or not,' " Mattingly said, according to ESPN.com. "So, that's the position I've been in all season long, so that's not a great position for me as a manager. That's the way it is, that's the way the organization wanted it last year, that's fine.
"This has been a frustrating year, honestly. I think when you basically come in with a club like this as a lame duck with the payroll and the guys you have, it puts you in a tough spot in the clubhouse.
"I dealt with that all year long and really what it does is puts me in a spot where everything that I do is questioned, because I'm basically trying out, auditioning to say, 'Can you mange or can you not manage?' To me, it gets to the point where you either know or you don't."
Mattingly's option reportedly is worth $1.4 million, but the team has made no announcement about his future with the Dodgers.
General manager Ned Colletti said the issue will be resolved quickly, but team president Stan Kasten and the team's ownership group must make the decision on Mattingly's contract and his future.
Mattingly said he would like to get his situation with the Dodgers resolved in the near future so he can pursue other jobs if the Dodgers don't want him back.
The Dodgers had a 260-225 record with one playoff appearance in three years under Mattingly.
The Dodgers were 9 1/2 games out of first place on June 21, but they went on a franchise-best 42-8 run and won the National League West by 11 games.
