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Miami Marlins dismiss Dan Jennings

By Mark Laming

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On the same day the Miami Marlins hired former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, the Marlins have announced the dismissal of former GM and manager Dan Jennings.

Jennings took over control of the Marlins managerial position after Mike Redmond was fired in the early stages of the season. Jennings continued to show questionable managerial decisions while running the team from the dugout, but, reports stated Dan Jennings would return to the team in his original capacity as the teams’ general manager.

The report from an anonymous source  told USA Today Sports that Jennings would no longer be employed by the team Thursday evening. Jennings went 71-91 as the teams’ manager and was looking to return to the Marlins front office during the 2016 season.

So why was Jennings let go by the club Thursday? Many sources, including Bob Nightengale of the USA Today have reported that the relationship between owner Jeffrey Loria and Dan Jennings was fractured over time.

Loria, according to Nightengale, wished that struggling outfielder Marcell Ozuna not be played during his recent cold spell, but Jennings felt otherwise playing Ozuna in the daily lineup.

Other reports indicate, Jennings was not a good fit with new manager Don Mattingly, leading to Jennings’ eventually dismissal from the team.

The move was extremely puzzling, even for an organization with a long history of mind-boggling moves. The team still owes Jennings $4.5 Million on his contract. Meaning, the Marlins have more money dumped into personnel no longer with the team. The Marlins are still paying off the contracts of Mike Redmond and the embattled Ozzie Guillen among others.

Now the bigger question is, what other front office shakeups are to come? With Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict becoming the new vice president of pitching, and now the Jennings dismissal, the Marlins are looking to shake things up in the front office. This is not a bad thing and could bring about some important changes like adding an analytical department something the Marlins have been desperately deprived of.

What’s next for Dan Jennings? Possibly a job elsewhere, he still has the makings of a solid front office executive whether that be as a GM, or in a different front office role. One thing is for sure, it won’t be in Miami.

Next: Season Review: Left Field

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