At the start of the 2013 MLB season, the Los Angeles Dodgers were the team to beat. They had a new set of owners and a roster filled with marquee names in the league. With sure aces rounding out the starting rotation, they were the team to beat. Until they were not. The Dodgers have struggled throughout the start of the year and it is likely manager Don Mattingly will be the first to take the fall, something he is painfully aware of.
Mattingly is talking like a man that knows he is about to get the boot in a matter of days and is talking to the media like he might not be putting on the Dodgers uniform again. While he did not call anyone out directly by name,he made it clear that no one could win games with the type of players currently on the team.
"We got to find a team with talent that will fight and compete like a club that doesn't have talen. I felt we got more out of our ability last season. I don't know about being tougher, but I felt we got more out of our ability," Mattingly said.
The Dodgers made several big moves in an attempt to strengthen up their roster. They acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, shortstop Hanley Ramirez, outfielder Carl Crawford and tarting pitcher Josh Beckett. They went even further signing free agent pitcher Zach Greinke and yet somehow have a 19-26 record. The only teams looking worse are the Miami Marlins and New York Mets. So far in the month of May, the team is 5-18.
"All grit and no talent isn't going to make you successful. But all talent and no grit isn't going to get you there either," Mattingly said.
Mattingly could be fired within the next day or two after the poor start by the Dodgers. He was handed a roster filled with numerous All-Stars and a National League record $217 million payroll. He has not been able to capitalize and when the bosses begin to get blamed, someone has to get fired.
Mattingly cannot take all the blame. Andre Either who is signed to an $85 million deal, has just four home runs on the season and the lowest slugging percentage of his career.
"There's another level you can't measure with sabermetrics. They may say, 'B.S.' to that, but there are certain things you can't measure."
The Dodgers will begin a weekend series with St. Louis. It is unclear whether Mattingly will join them.
