October 14, 2026
Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The Phillies are keeping their managerial situation status quo.
If you wanted wholesale change for the Phillies next season, you're probably not getting what you wished for.
According to a report from The Athletic's Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes, the Phils are going to take the "interim" tag off of Don Mattingly's title and the veteran manager will take the reigns in full next spring.
Mattingly is one of several recent prominent hires in which the Phillies have looked inward rather than conducting an external search. With an owner-imposed MLB work stoppage expected to begin Dec. 2, Mattingly at least knows the players after serving as the interim boss.
Now, after retaining Mattingly, the Phillies can focus on other priorities as they begin an unusual offseason.
Mattingly, 65, will have at least 2027 (or however much of the season is played) to oversee the dugout. It’s possible the Phillies amend his contract to add another year. They could also make changes to Mattingly’s coaching staff, which he inherited from former manager Rob Thomson. [The Athletic]
The news was later formalized by the Phillies, who announced they had extended Mattingly through the 2028 season.
Mattingly went 79-55 after taking over for the fired Thomson in April. The team overcame slumps and injuries to limp into the postseason, where they were eliminated by the Braves in three games in the NL Wild Card Round.
Many criticized Mattingly's decisions down the stretch, as he notably put closer Jhoan Duran into a Game 1 loss in the seventh inning (for a three inning save?), along with other unusual uses of the Phils' pitching staff. Our own readers voted, 59-41%, that they hoped the Phillies would move on from Mattingly.
It was expected the team would conduct a full and sprawling search for a new voice in the dugout. It sounds like they want this buttoned up quickly due to the potential lock out.
When Mattingly, 65, was added as bench coach last year, he was clear that he did not intend to manage again. And when he became manager, it seemed as though it was just a temporary, one-time thing. Looks like he was just being humble.
The other noteworthy development that led to the manager's return is the very public attempt, and failure, by Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies' front office to convince former World Series winning manager Alex Cora to coach in Philly next year. Reports say he intends to take 2027 off.
The Phillies have yet to formalize this news, nor have they held any sort of end of season press availability (which they do every year).
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