The World Series is still going on, but for other MLB teams, it's all about next season and there will be some new managers taking over when the 2016 schedule starts up. Don Mattingly, Scott Servais, Bud Black and Andy Green have been hired by the Marlins, Mariners, Nationals and Padres, while the Dodgers also will be hiring a new manager with Mattingly now gone.
The Mariners, Padres and Nationals all fired their managers from last season with Lloyd McClendon, Bud Black and Matt Williams all getting axed. The Marlins had general manager Dan Jennings as the manager after taking over midseason and now he is gone and Mattingly will be taking over. Mattingly and the Dodgers parted ways after five seasons and three straight division titles and now Mattingly will be the manager in Miami.
UPDATE: After the Nationals offered Black a deal, the team has now decided to hire Dusty Baker as manager. An updated manager rankings column will follow with Baker in for Black. Check here for more on the negotiations and the decision.
Black is replacing Matt Williams in Washington, while Green is taking over for Black in San Diego. The Mariners hired Jerry Dipoto as their new general manager and he brought Servais, who worked for Dipoto with the Angels but has never managed before in the majors. The Dodgers are reportedly zeroing in on a couple candidates, as Gabe Kapler and Dave Martinez are considered to be the favorites for the job, according to Hardball Talk.
Here is a ranking of the recent hires:
1. Don Mattingly, 2. Bud Black, 3. Andy Green, 4. Scott Servais
Don Mattingly, Marlins
Mattingly takes over in Miami after managing five seasons in Los Angeles, but his departure was expected after the Dodgers made another early exit from the playoffs. The team won three division titles for the first time in team history, but with a new front office taking over run by Andrew Friedman, the team was expected to make some moves.
The split with Mattingly was called mutual and right now he is the best hire among the new managers, as he had a strong run with Los Angeles despite not making it to the World Series. Mattingly won 446 games during his time in LA and the team made the playoffs multiple times. Mattingly has been criticized at times for some of his managing moves, but he had to handle a huge payroll, a crowded outfield and a locker room filled with many different personalities, including Yoenis Cespedes and Zack Greinke.
Bud Black, Nationals
Black has experience and is considered to be a strong "baseball man" and that is part of the reason why the Nationals brought him in. The Matt Williams run in Washington had its moments, but overall it was a disappointment, especially this season after the Nats missed the playoffs. Black was with the Padres for over eight seasons and now he brings that experience to DC. Black won 649 games during his time in SD, but the team overall had a losing record during his run.
Black did not bring the Padres to the playoffs and that is a bit of a negative mark on him, but he also did not always get the best roster of players out there in San Diego. Black does not have that problem in Washington, where players like Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer are on the team. Black is considered to be a strong manager when it comes to communication with players and that likely is the main reason why he is taking over. Williams and some players had communications issues last year and now Black gets the chance to take over.
Andy Green, Padres
Black now turns Green in San Diego, as the Padres have hired Andy Green to take over after he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres had high expectations this season after pulling off a number of trades, but things did not work out as planned and the team won only 74 games. Green comes in after being the third base coach for the D-Backs and that means he has seen plenty of this team over the course of last season.
Green previously was a manager in the Arizona farm system for four years before joining the big league staff and that gives the Padres a manager with some actual managing experience. Black obviously had lots of experience, but the team felt they needed to make a change and did that in June. Green previously was named Southern League Manager of the Year and he also won a championship in 2012 in the Pioneer League.
Scott Servais, Mariners
The Mariners had a disappointing season after coming into 2015 with playoff expectations and that led the team to bring in Jerry Dipoto as general manager. Dipoto had some issues with Mike Scioscia when he was with the Angels and that led many to believe that Dipoto would bring in a manager that fits his philosophy. Servais worked with Dipoto as an assistant general manager and that means he fits the bill when it comes to lining up how Dipoto wants the team to look.
Servais does not have any managerial experience apart from some games in the minors when the Angels gave managers days off. Managers without experience have become common in baseball with names like Mike Matheny, Brad Ausmus, Bryan Price, Rick Renteria and Matt Williams have been hired without managerial experience. Some of those have worked out better than others and now Servais will get the chance. Servais is a former player and that experience should help him as well.
--The ranking is more about the manager here rather than the job overall. Clearly the Washington Nationals are in a better position than the Miami Marlins, but Mattingly has a bit of an edge over Black with his success in Los Angeles. Based on the team situations, the Nationals, Dodgers, Mariners, Padres and Marlins are slotted in that order.
