'Frustrated' Don Mattingly unsure if he'll be back with Dodgers even with contract option vested
His contract option has officially vested, but Don Mattingly is "frustrated" with Dodgers ownership and unsure if he'll be back next season. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Monday that his contract option for 2014 vested when the team advanced past the National League Division Series.
But Mattingly admitted that he was frustrated with Dodgers' ownership, which made him manage this past season without committing to him long-term. And he said he's unsure at this point if he'll return next season.
"When you're put in this situation, the organization basically says, 'We don't know if you can manage or not,'" Mattingly said at a press conference with Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on Monday, 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."
He added that it's been a "frustrating, tough year."
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Although the fact that Mattingly's option vested with the Dodgers' advancement to the NLCS, Mattingly's comments make it uncertain that he'll return unless he and management work out a longer-term contract. The team has yet to make a formal announcement about whether Mattingly will return.
