PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dave Dombrowski believed in Don Mattingly so much he told the interim manager following the Philadelphia Phillies' elimination that he was the leading candidate to get the full-time job in 2027.
Still, the team's president of baseball operations wanted to poke around other options, just in case.
After checking in on other potential candidates — including getting rebuffed for a second time this year by former Boston Red Sox manager
Alex Cora — Dombrowski had some good news over the weekend for Mattingly: He was the manager.
“The first time the job was offered to anybody was Saturday, when I offered it to Don,” Dombrowski said Thursday.
Philadelphia gave Mattingly a two-year deal even after a late-season collapse nearly cost the team a playoff spot. The Phillies almost blew a four-game lead for a wild card in the final week of the regular season, then lost in three games to the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Series.
Mattingly did go 79-55 and earned the respect of a veteran team that largely pushed to have him return following his promotion from bench coach after Rob Thomson was fired in April
The Phillies’ core of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola have made five straight playoff appearances and averaged 91 wins per year during that stretch.
They just haven't won the World Series.
There are plenty of changes ahead — Dombrowski touched on many during a 60-minute season-ending news conference — but the constant will be in the dugout.
“Last year really wasn't my team,” Mattingly said on a video call. “It was Thomps' team. I took over from that point and just kind of just drove the car from there.”
He added: “I think there are things that I want to do differently.”
Just how much can Dombrowski and Mattingly do to lead the Phillies — who had a $284.7 million opening day payroll — and their aging cast of stars to their first World Series title since 2008, especially with a work stoppage almost certain in December?
Trea Turner hit .242 with a .675 OPS with a league-worst 21 errors at shortstop in his fourth season with the Phillies. He went 1 for 10 in the playoffs and still has seven years left on his $300 million, 11-year deal, all but making him immovable in the trade market.
Dombrowski told Turner during a Tuesday meeting at Citizens Bank Park that he needs to show in spring training he can play at shortstop or else the veteran could potentially move to the outfield.
“He needs to fix some things with his swing,” Dombrowski said. “From a defensive perspective we were very clear. He knows he has to be better at shortstop. I told him it's really mandatory that it's like that.”
Turner took the blame after the Phillies were eliminated by the Braves and noted “I've got a lot of work to do” to regain the form he had in 2025, when he led the NL in hitting and made only eight errors.
“He's determined to show us he can play it,” Dombrowski said. “I said, you have to show it. You cannot play shortstop like you did defensively in ‘26 going to ’27.”
The Phillies fired hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson.
They hired former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as their new infield coach and third base coach. Mendoza was fired by the Mets in June. He had spent 15 seasons working for the New York Yankees, the last four as bench coach, before the Mets hired him to replace Buck Showalter after the 2023 season.
Left-handed reliever Tim Mayza and the Phillies agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract. He had a 3.48 ERA in 67 1/3 innings in his first season with the Phillies. He even started six games as an opener.
Several Phillies face uncertain futures
Third baseman Alec Bohm is eligible for free agency, as is second baseman Luis Arraez. Bohm ended the season on a hot streak and finished with 88 RBIs and a .698 OPS. He won Game 2 against Atlanta with a two-out homer in the 10th inning. Arraez, acquired at the trade deadline, missed the playoffs with a sprained left ankle.
The Phillies have prized infielder prospect Aidan Miller cleared to play and ready to compete for a spot on the roster after he missed most of 2026 with a back injury.
The 70-year-old Dombrowski enters the final year of his contract in 2027 but expects to stick around beyond that with the Phillies.
“I enjoy it, (I'm) healthy, have quality people around me,” Dombrowski said.
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