October 06, 2026
Brett Davis/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Don Mattingly had his hands full at the end of the Phillies' regular season.
The age old debate over how much impact a baseball manager has on a team will careen on for as long as baseball does.
Did Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, who took over in the spring and had impressive regular season success (mostly) after Rob Thomson was fired in April, do a good job this season?
In the 13 seasons Mattingly managed in the majors, he never had a better regular season win percentage than he did with the Phillies this season, going 79-55 (.590). Was the talent just on autopilot? Or was he pushing the right buttons?
He dealt with injuries and slumps — two things he has no control over. He led the team to one of the best Augusts in recent memory (21-7), and one of the worst Septembers (10-14).
He was forced to buy into a ridiculous triple position change after the Phillies traded for second baseman Luis Arráez, moving Bryson Stott to third, Bryce Harper to right field and Alec Bohm to first. And he seemed to navigate it successfully.
He also took a team with a 9-19 record under Thomson to a postseason berth. He managed big personalities and egos. And when things started to fall apart in September, he threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Phillies' inability to clinch a playoff berth.
Mattingly sort of crumbled at the end. It wasn't for a lack of trying.
• On Sept. 24, with the Phils magic number to clinch at 2 and a home playoff game still possible, he called on struggling reliever José Alvarado (5.86 ERA this season) in a key spot in a tie game. Alvarado surrendered three runs and Philly lost.
• On Sept. 26, with the magic number still 2 and the Phillies desperate to clinch, he ran Aaron Nola to the hill on short rest and the starter allowed three runs in one inning of work. The Phils lost 12-1.
• In Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series, Mattingly called on closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning. Was his plan a three-inning save? The ace closer blew it in the eighth and the Phillies lost.
• Mattingly went with Nola over Zack Wheeler in Game 3, and Nola was predictably shaky and didn't make it through two innings. Wheeler looked better, but the staff was overpowered by the Braves. Did his Sept. 26 mistake ruin Nola? Why didn't he start one of the 10 best pitchers in the NL in Wheeler in that game?
When Mattingly took over, he made it clear that he didn't intend to manage long term and it looks like either he'll step down, or move to a new position in the Phillies according to various reports from after the team's season ended in Game 3 in Atlanta last week.
MORE: Phillies stay or go: Dave Dombrowski
With an old school manager in control for the last six seasons, Joe Girardi giving way to Thomson giving way to Mattingly, perhaps it's time to take a new direction. The Phillies need to find as many ways to make changes as possible. With so many players under long term contracts, a new manager — and a different kind of manager — has to be a no-brainer move.
The team was not shy about its interest in former Red Sox manager Alex Cora back in April, and it appears he will be a likely target to manage the team in 2027. Here's a report from the New York Post's Jon Heyman:
The Phillies may or may not conduct a managerial search, but Alex Cora appears to have a strong inside track to become their next manager with interim manager Don Mattingly expected to step down.
There’s no word Philly has started its process yet, but Cora was offered the job before the Phillies promoted Mattingly from bench coach. So it’s an unusual situation where the favorite is known.
...
Cora has a very close relationship with Phillies president Dave Dombrowski from their days winning the 2018 World Series with the Red Sox. So a reunion surely works well for both. [NY Post]
We'll dig into the Cora connection and whether it's a good fit later in the offseason.
For now, what do you think? Are the Phillies making the right move by not attempting to sign Don Mattingly to manage the Phillies long term?
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