Don Mattingly wants to manage the Phillies in 2027

When Alex Cora lost his job in Boston, the Philadelphia Phillies quickly reached out to the former Red Sox player to see if he wanted to manage the team.

He said no because he wanted to take a year off. That's his right.

The Phillies quickly turned to Don Mattingly, the team's bench coach, to serve as interim manager through the end of the 2026 season.

They couldn't keep Rob Thomson under the circumstances. Everyone knew the job had been offered to Cora, who won the championship in 2018 with Dave Dombrowski in Boston… and a change was needed.

The Phillies quickly realized that Mattingly was there for 2026 only and that in 2027, a new full-time manager would arrive. The plan was for it to be Cora, who would have finished taking some time off by then.

But now Mattingly has said in an interview that he's interested in keeping his job. Having both feet in the door has undoubtedly made him want to continue.

He says he signed a two-year deal with the Phillies (so we understand he's referring to his contract here) and that he'd like to continue.

However, he also mentioned that he'll do whatever Dave Dombrowski wants. In other words, if he has to return to his role as bench coach, he'll apparently do so without complaining.

Don Mattingly, who is the son of the Phillies' GM (Preston), is doing a good job right now. Will the Phillies want to change the formula?

In other words, will they want to let Cora go for another year with Mattingly? I think the answer is obvious, since Cora is an elite manager.

Keep in mind that the Mets and the Red Sox also currently have interim managers. It's unclear whether Chad Tracy will return in 2027, since Craig Breslow could lose his job as head of baseball operations for the Red Sox.

In New York, Carlos Beltran's name is being mentioned. But if you read between the lines, Andy Green doesn't seem willing to step down, even if that's the plan for 2027…

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