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Don Mattingly Says Marlins Had Long Team Meeting: Things Had to Get Out in the Open
June 7, 2022
Having lost 22 of their last 32 games, Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly called a team meeting prior to Tuesday's matchup against the Washington Nationals.
Speaking to reporters about the 90-minute meeting, Mattingly said everyone on the team spoke and there were "a lot of little things that we felt like the group needed to get out in the open."
Mattingly didn't offer specific details about what was discussed, other than saying it wasn't necessarily about wins as losses so much as airing out any issues anyone might have had. He added it wouldn't be a surprise if the Marlins came out flat against the Nationals.
There's been no indication publicly that anything has been going on with the Marlins. They did have an organizational shake-up coming into the season when Derek Jeter sold his 4 percent ownership stake in February.
"The vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead," Jeter said in his statement. "Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins."
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Jeter's decision to leave the Marlins stemmed from chairman Bruce Sherman "reneging on a promise" to spend $10-15 million more on payroll this season.
Miami's payroll of $82.44 million ranks 26th out of 30 MLB teams this season. The front office did spend $89 million in free agency to sign Jorge Soler (three years, $36 million) and Avisail Garcia (four years, $53 million).
The team did show promise at the start of the season with a 12-8 record through 20 games in April. Since May 1, though, the Marlins have gone 10-22 with three losing streaks of at least three games during this span.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been one of the breakout stars of the still-young 2022 season. The 24-year-old is hitting .250/.308/.507 through 42 games. Sandy Alcantara (1.81 ERA) and Pablo Lopez (2.18 ERA) have been fantastic at the top of the rotation.
A lack of depth behind that trio of stars is one of the main issues for the Marlins. They are looking to avoid their 12th losing record in the past 13 seasons.
Mattingly is in his seventh season managing the club. The 61-year-old has a 396-524 record in 920 games with the Marlins.