Phillies considering keeping Don Mattingly as manager for 2027

Don Mattingly, who spent the better part of a season managing the Phillies without the word "interim" ever leaving his title, could find that word quietly disappearing this offseason. Per Matt Gelb and Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Philadelphia is considering retaining Mattingly as its full-time manager for 2027 — a decision that follows the club's unsuccessful pursuit of Alex Cora.

What happened

The Phillies entered the offseason with a managerial vacancy and a clear first choice to fill it. That choice, per reporting from earlier this week, was Alex Cora — who reportedly told Phillies president Dave Dombrowski he does not plan to manage in 2027, removing himself from consideration entirely. With that avenue closed, Gelb and Stark report that the organization is now weighing whether to elevate Mattingly from interim to permanent.

Mattingly arrived in the dugout under unusual circumstances. He had been hired as a bench coach, but when the Phillies fired Rob Thomson at the end of April — following a 9-19 start — Mattingly stepped into the manager's role. The club never removed the interim designation at any point during the season that followed.

Why it matters

The case for Mattingly is embedded in the arithmetic of what came after Thomson's dismissal. Per the report, the Phillies were 24 games over .500 under Mattingly's watch. That is a meaningful number for a franchise that had looked, in late April, like it might be watching a contending window close ahead of schedule.

The case against is embedded in what happened at the end. Philadelphia nearly surrendered a playoff spot entirely, dropping four consecutive games in late September before winning on the final day of the regular season to avoid a collapse. That final-day survival came at a cost: Mattingly deployed ace Zack Wheeler in a must-win spot, leaving the rotation short-handed heading into the Wild Card round. The Atlanta Braves eliminated the Phillies in three games — Philadelphia's fourth consecutive postseason series loss, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting.

A gut-wrenching finish and a quick exit are not the résumé additions a manager hopes to carry into a contract discussion. But the broader body of work, per Gelb and Stark, is enough to keep Mattingly in the conversation.

Is Mattingly staying with the organization regardless?

Yes, per the report. Mattingly is signed through 2027, meaning he will be with the Phillies in some capacity next season no matter how the managerial decision resolves. Gelb and Stark note that if he is not named the manager, he could move into a front-office advisor role. The bench coach path, however, carries its own complications: Mattingly's son, Preston, is Philadelphia's general manager, and returning Don to a subordinate dugout role while a new manager is brought in above him would, per the report, risk creating an awkward dynamic.

That family dynamic is not a minor footnote. It shapes the realistic menu of options. A front-office advisory role keeps the relationship tidy. Naming him manager keeps the dugout chain of command uncomplicated. Slotting him back beneath a new hire does neither.

The numbers

The Phillies finished 88-74 (.543), sitting second in the NL East, 6 games back, and have been eliminated from the division race. The offense that Mattingly managed through the second half of the season finished 19th in scoring across the league, per the report — a number that will weigh on the front office's offseason priorities regardless of who is writing out the lineup card in 2027.

Where the club stands

At 88-74, Philadelphia closed the regular season on a one-game winning streak — that final-day survival win — before the Wild Card exit to Atlanta. Second place in the NL East and a postseason appearance represent a functional outcome for a team that was 9-19 in late April, but the manner of the finish, and the manner of the exit, leave the organization with genuine questions to answer.

The offense described in the report as aging and expensive ranked 19th in scoring. The bullpen options behind closer Jhoan Duran, per the report, thinned out as the season wore on. Those are the kinds of roster construction problems that tend to accumulate interest over a winter, and they will be waiting for whoever holds the lineup card when camp opens.

What we don't know yet

The Phillies have not announced a managerial decision, and per Gelb and Stark, the consideration of Mattingly is exactly that — a consideration, not a resolution. The interim tag was never removed during the season, and it has not been removed now. Whether the front office ultimately decides that the turnaround outweighs the September stumble, and whether Mattingly himself wants the permanent role, are questions the reporting does not yet answer.

The bullpen situation adds another layer of uncertainty. Per the report, the reliable options behind Duran dwindled late in the year — a problem that will need addressing regardless of the managerial outcome. An aging, expensive lineup that ranked 19th in scoring compounds the offseason workload considerably.

What to watch

The managerial decision is, per the report, at the top of Philadelphia's offseason list — but it is not the only item on it. Watch for any formal announcement regarding Mattingly's status, which would represent a shift from the current reported consideration to something more concrete. Watch also for how the front office addresses the offense and the back end of the bullpen, two areas the report flags explicitly as concerns heading into the winter.

The Phillies are a franchise that has now watched four consecutive postseason runs end in series losses. The question of who manages them next year is real and unresolved. Per Gelb and Stark of The Athletic, the answer might already be in the building — it just needs the word "interim" taken off the door.