New MLB Rumors on Don Mattingly, Phillies' Managerial Search After Alex Cora Snub

After serving as the Philadelphia Phillies' interim manager for most of the 2026 season, naming Don Mattingly the full-time manager for 2027 is reportedly under consideration.

According to Matt Gelb and Jayson Stark of The Athletic, "everything remains on the table" for the Phillies in their managerial search, including removing the interim tag from Mattingly.

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One huge domino has already fallen and improved Mattingly's chances of landing the job, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported this week that former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora declined to speak with the Phillies about their vacancy, noting that he plans on taking 2027 off.

Per Gelb and Stark, Mattingly is still under contract through 2027 as the Phillies' bench coach, and he is expected to remain with the organization regardless of whether he is named the manager.

If the Phillies go in a different managerial direction, Mattingly reportedly could serve as a front-office advisor under his son, Preston Mattingly, who is the Phillies' general manager.

The elder Mattingly has to be considered a strong candidate for several reasons, including the job he did in Philadelphia this season.

Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson as the Phillies' manager 28 games into the campaign with the team sitting at 9-19.

From that point forward, Mattingly led the Phillies to a 79-55 mark and got them to the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

The Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wild Card Series, but they took the Braves to a decisive third game and put up a strong fight throughout the series.

One thing that could potentially work against Mattingly is the controversial decision he made with his bullpen in Game 1.

With a 3-2 lead, Mattingly surprisingly turned to closer Jhoan Durán in the seventh inning rather than waiting until the ninth.

Durán proceeded to allow two hits and three earned runs over two innings, blowing the save and losing the game.

While that decision may be second-guessed for quite some time, Mattingly does bring a wealth of experience and a solid amount of managerial success to the table.

Over his 13 seasons as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and Phillies, Mattingly has posted a 968-1,005 record and reached the playoffs five times.

The longtime New York Yankees first baseman was also named National League Manager of the Year in 2020 when he took the Marlins to the playoffs with a 31-29 record during the COVID-shortened season.

While the Phillies manager job figures to be a desirable one due to the presence of star players such as Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo, the organization could be hard-pressed to find a more qualified option than Mattingly.