Mattingly Returns as Phillies Manager on 2-Year Deal — SkimNews
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- Don Mattingly went 79-55 as interim after replacing Rob Thomson in April, guiding Philadelphia to an NL wild-card berth before the Phillies dropped a decisive Game 3 to the Atlanta Braves, 6-2.
- The Phillies were rebuffed twice by former Red Sox manager Alex Cora — when president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski moved to fire Thomson and again after the season ended — leaving Mattingly as the choice both times.
- Mattingly is the father of Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly, a family tie that sits at the top of the club's baseball operations.
- Philadelphia's core of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola has made five straight playoff appearances averaging 91 wins per year but has not won a championship since reaching the 2022 World Series.
- Mattingly has a career managerial record of 968-1,005 across the Dodgers, Marlins and Phillies with five playoff trips, and was NL Manager of the Year in 2020 after leading Miami to its first postseason since 2003.
- Key Phillies including Alec Bohm, trade-deadline acquisition Luis Arraez and reliever Jose Alvarado are entering free agency, while right field remains a question mark with Harper likely shifting back to first base.
Why it matters: Mattingly is locked in for two years, but the Phillies' core (averaging 91 wins and five straight playoff trips without a title since 2022) is aging, and free agency hits Bohm, Arraez and Alvarado this winter — meaning GM Preston Mattingly must retool the roster quickly if his father's club is to break through.
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