MLB Odds Rumors and News For The Week

Don Mattingly recently parted ways with the Los Angeles Dodgers after they were knocked out of the playoffs in the National League Division Series by the New York Mets as MLB odds fans might recall seeing. However, he won’t be out of work for long. The Miami Herald has reported that Mattingly met with the Miami Marlins, and that both sides are looking at inking a contract in the next few days. Mattingly managed the Dodgers for the last five seasons and won the last three NL West titles.

MLB Odds Rumors and News For The Week

Don Mattingly is “leading candidate” to manage #Marlins https://t.co/70thoTmUVy

— HardballTalk (@HardballTalk) October 26, 2015

No official announcement is expected until after the World Series. However, money is not expected to hold up the deal, as owner Jeffrey Loria has been willing to pay his managers well, as in the case of Ozzie Guillen. The only possible hindrance could be the fact that Mattingly wants to bring in his own coaches, and the Marlins have not always been willing to let new managers do that. However online betting fans, given how strongly Loria appears to be interested in Mattingly, that might not be a problem. Such other candidates as Larry Bowa, Bo Porter, Alex Cora, Phil Nevin, Rick Renteria, and Manny Acta, all of whom have interviewed for the position, could find themselves on the outside looking in now. Let’s take a look at some of the other rumors making their way through Major League Baseball as the Royals and Mets square off in the Fall Classic: The two finalists for the manager’s seat in Washington are Bud Black and Dusty Baker, both of whom had their second interviews on Monday. According to James Wagner with the Washington Post, the Nationals will have to pay either one of these candidates more – and they still owe Matt Williams $1 million for the 2016 season. In San Diego, Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield went back for a second interview and looks to be a finalist for the position. Sofield coached at the University of South Carolina from 1984-1986 and Utah from 1987-1994. He managed in the Expos’ minor league system from 1995-1997. Ron Gardenhire, the longtime Twins manager, also went back for a second interview in San Diego, according to Jon Heyman with CBSSports.com. The Seattle Mariners have a vacancy at the third-base coach position, and Dave Roberts appears to be a strong candidate there. He was the bench coach in San Diego last year but made a good impression in his Seattle interview, according to Bob Dutton with The Olympian. Catcher Matt Wieters is a season removed from Tommy John surgery, and now the Braves, Rays, Mariners, Astros and Dodgers could all be interested in his arm. The Rangers might also be interested, but if the Orioles give Wieters a qualifying offer, the Rangers would not pursue him. Torii Hunter retired Monday at the age of 40, bringing a close to a 19-year career that saw him in the All-Star game five times and brought him nine Gold Gloves. He would have been relegated to part-time duty if he had gone back to Minnesota in 2016.