Don Mattingly says he ‘never felt slighted’ by the Phillies’ pursuit of Alex Cora
The new Phillies full-time manager didn’t mind that the club was looking at other candidates, including Cora, before they signed him to a two-year contract on Wednesday.
Before Don Mattingly became a six-time All-Star and before his No. 23 was retired by the Yankees, he was a 19th-round draft selection.
“I got passed over by a lot of guys before they drafted me, so there was a lot of players that I was behind,” Mattingly said. “You just got to keep going out and showing what you can do.”
To be exact, there were 492 players selected before Mattingly in the 1979 MLB draft. So the new Phillies full-time manager didn’t mind that the club was looking at other candidates before ultimately signing him to a two-year contract on Wednesday.
“I never felt slighted,” Mattingly said.
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Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered the job to former Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who declined for the second time and does not intend to manage in 2027. In his season-ending news conference on Thursday, Dombrowski said he was acting according to league rules, which require clubs with an interim manager to interview external candidates.
The Red Sox and Mets removed the interim tag from Chad Tracy and Andy Green, respectively, in-season this year. In 2022, the Phillies removed the interim tag from Rob Thomson during their postseason run, following their wild-card victory over the Cardinals.
“The only way you don’t have to [go through the interview process] is if you pick up the phone and call the commissioner and talk to him about it. I’ve done that before,” Dombrowski said. “Not always a conversation you want to have, because he’s pretty much outlined to us what we’re supposed to do. So Don was understanding of that.”
A few days after the Phillies’ wild-card series loss in Atlanta, Dombrowski and Mattingly met for nearly two hours. Dombrowski told him he was a “leading candidate” to return for the next season, and as the club explored its options they would keep him in the loop.
“The way I looked at is I had a very good manager that I liked that I thought did a good job for us,” Dombrowski said. “... I think Don Mattingly did a really good job for us, and I’m very impressed with him. I guess you never know what ends up happening, but I didn’t feel that there was a strong chance that we were going to do something else. But I still also was required to do those things.”
Ultimately, they came to an agreement on Saturday but held off making it official until Wednesday, due to a family trip Mattingly had scheduled. Mattingly, whose son Preston is the Phillies’ general manager, was not offended by the delay nor the team’s interest in Cora.
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“I wanted the best for the organization. So, if Dave thought that was the best moving forward, then I was going to be good with that,” Mattingly said. “I have a lot of confidence in myself. I don’t talk like that, but I know inside of how I handle the club, how I do things, I’m confident in the way I go about my business. Probably not always perfect, but I’m pretty confident. And I don’t have the ego that says I have to be whatever. I just don’t need it.”
Under Mattingly, who stepped in for Thomson in April, the Phillies had a 79-55 record. Dombrowski thinks he can benefit even more from starting as manager from the beginning of the season and experiencing spring training, rather than taking the reins partway through. That said, however, a regular spring training is not likely in 2027 with a labor dispute looming once MLB’s collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.
Mattingly’s focus is now having conversations with his players about his plan and ideas for the club moving forward into 2027. Dombrowski has already begun having some discussions of his own, such as speaking to shortstop Trea Turner about the importance of improving his defense and catcher J.T. Realmuto about reducing his workload next season.
“I have a lot better feel for this team now than I did starting the spring training last year,” Mattingly said. “Of understanding who we are, what do we need to be.”
Mattingly’s staff will look different next year. The Phillies hired former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as infield coach and third base coach. He takes over for Bobby Dickerson, who was fired along with hitting coach Kevin Long. The search for Long’s replacement is still in progress.
A year ago, Mattingly was contemplating retirement after helping the Blue Jays reach the World Series as their bench coach. His youngest son Louie helped convince him to take the Phillies’ open bench coach job, which later led to a return to managing when Thomson was fired.
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Mattingly, 65, found the experience reinvigorating enough to commit to two more years at the helm.
“I think just managing and being in Philly, you could feel the East Coast energy, and for me, that’s what I liked,” Mattingly said. “And I know it’s tough, and there’s people that are going to criticize and all that kind of stuff, but that’s just part of it. And I don’t know, it felt more like home to me, as far as my baseball life, than anywhere I’d been before.”
The Phillies haven't won a playoff series since 2023, and their postseasons keep getting shorter and shorter. How can they fix it? Radio play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke joins Phillies Extra, The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss Trea Turner's future, the managerial uncertainty, whether the Phillies can get "creative" to change the mix of the roster, and more. Watch here.
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