On the same day the Miami Marlins reportedly agreed to terms with Don Mattingly to become the franchise’s next leader in the clubhouse, per Vice Sports’ Molly Knight, the front office decided to shake things up.
According to the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson, the Marlins “dismissed” general manager Dan Jennings with the belief that the move is “in [the] best interests of [the] organization.” MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro confirmed the report. Not long after, the Marlins announced Jennings’ dismissal via Twitter.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal added Jennings was fired with three years and $5.6 million left on his contract.
According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill will replace Jennings as the team’s general manager. Vice president of baseball operations Mike Berger will also be “more involved,” per Heyman.
Miami hired Jennings as the team’s general manager in 2013, but his job description changed drastically during the 2015 season, when the Marlins fired former manager Mike Redmond and moved their general manager into the dugout.
After Jennings took over as Miami’s manager in May, the Marlins posted a 55-69 record and a third-place finish in the National League East. However, the Marlins did display improvement down the stretch as they posted a 16-10 record in September while winning 18 of their final 30 games overall.
But as USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale reported, the divorce between Jennings and the Marlins was a long time coming:
If there’s good news for Jennings, it’s that he likely won’t be out of work long, per Nightengale:
The Marlins entered 2015 with high expectations, but a sixth straight losing season left the franchise with more questions than answers.
While Mattingly attempts to improve the on-field product, Hill and Berger will try to appease owner Jeffrey Loria while shaping the team’s new identity as it seeks to snap a 12-year postseason drought.
The task won’t be easy, but a raw talent base boasting Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon, Martin Prado and Christian Yelich should give the front office a solid foundation to work with.
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