Los Angeles Managers Don Mattingly, Mike Scioscia Favorites to Be First MLB Skipper Fired in 2013
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels have combined payrolls north of $350 million in 2013. Both were among the favorites to win the World Series. However, both have struggled big time so far this season, so it’s not too surprising that the Dodgers’ Don Mattingly and the Angels’ Mike Scioscia are among the betting favorites to be the first manager fired.
Both managers have received calls of support from upper management, which is never a good thing. The Dodgers are easily the biggest disappointment in the National League with a team-record payroll of about $216 million, but last in the NL West. You can’t blame that big trade with the Red Sox, as both Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford have been playing well this year. Josh Beckett hasn’t been good, is hurt and could retire, but overall the Dodgers feel good about the trade.
Mattingly is the 5-4 favorite to be the first manager fired. He already has called out his team publicly, and the former Yankees star doesn’t have a contract after this season.
Scioscia is the longest-tenured manager in baseball and has a contract that runs through 2018, but Angels owner Arte Moreno has shown money is no object after signing Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton the past two offseasons — and both former MVPs have struggled this year. Scioscia is a two-time AL Manager of the Year and led the Halos to the 2002 World Series title, but they haven’t been back since and appear set to miss the postseason for the fourth straight year. The irony is that if Scioscia is fired, he’d probably be at the top of the Dodgers’ wish list, as he was a longtime catcher for the team. Scioscia is 7-1 to get the axe before any other manager.
The second favorite to be the first fired is Milwaukee’s Ron Roenicke at 5-1. The Brewers were contending for the NL Central lead to start May, but went 6-22 in the month, tying a club record for futility. The team already has tried several roster moves, to no avail.
Seattle’s Eric Wedge and Toronto’s John Gibbons are both at 7-1 with Scioscia. Wedge only had three seasons with at least a .500 record in seven years with Cleveland — he was the 2007 AL Manager of the Year — and the Mariners haven’t sniffed the break-even mark in his three seasons there. The M’s thought they would at least contend for a wild card spot this year.
Gibbons was hired by the Blue Jays after they traded John Farrell to Boston. Toronto didn’t make the playoffs in Gibbons’ first stint from 2004-08, and the preseason World Series favorites don’t appear likely to do so this year either. The Jays are the most disappointing AL team east of Anaheim. Toronto is now 15-1 to win the AL East, with Boston the new 2-1 favorite after taking two of three from the Yankees (13-4) over the weekend.
The rest of the candidates are the Phillies’ Charlie Manuel (10-1), the Royals’ Ned Yost (12-1), the Mets’ Terry Collins (12-1), the Twins’ Ron Gardenhire (15-1), the Yankees’ Joe Girardi (15-1) and the Padres’ Bud Black (15-1). Girardi’s Yankees are the only team with a winning record on that list.
This post is presented by Bovada.
