Ever since the Philadelphia Phillies moved bench coach Mike Calitri to a major league field coordinator role following the season, many have speculated about the candidate who could serve as his replacement. Among the possibilities was an overwhelming favorite in Don Mattingly after he stepped down from his bench coach position with the Toronto Blue Jays following their World Series loss.
In fact, Philadelphia’s president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski even personally endorsed that at the end-of-year press conference. Well, that speculation has become much closer to a reality now after Dombrowski all but confirmed the coaching move that Phillies fans have all been waiting for.
Dave Dombrowski says Phillies, Don Mattingly have 'mutual interest' in bench coach role
According to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dombrowski said on Monday at the Winter Meetings that the Phillies and Mattingly have “mutual interest” in taking over their bench coaching role.
“It’s not official, but we have really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we’re hopeful that it will,” said Dombrowski.
Dave Dombrowski said the Phillies have “mutual interest” with Don Mattingly for the bench coach job.
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) December 8, 2025
“It’s not official, but we have really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we're hopeful that it will.”
That possibility was further strengthened when Todd Zolecki of MLB.com suggested that it just “sounds like a matter of when, not if” anymore.
Adding Mattingly to the Phillies’ coaching staff could end up paying huge dividends after seeing his impressive work with the Blue Jays in recent years. The 64-year-old veteran joined Toronto ahead of the 2023 season to serve as their bench coach after spending several years as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins in the years prior.
As a bench coach for the Blue Jays from 2023 through 2025, while also being given the role of offensive coordinator in 2024, Mattingly helped guide the ballclub to two playoff appearances in three years. That, of course, included their incredible run all the way to the World Series this past season. Given the success that he had with the team, many were actually surprised that he chose to leave the organization under such circumstances.
As a manager, Mattingly posted an 889-950 career mark, helping the Dodgers secure three NL West division titles and three postseason appearances from 2013 to 2015, as well as leading the Marlins in 2020 to their first playoff berth since winning the World Series in 2003.
So perhaps Mattingly wanted to spend more time with his family, which he can certainly do so if he joined Philadelphia as his son Preston is the current general manager of the Phillies. Nevertheless, the Blue Jays’ pain could soon be the Phillies’ gain as his expertise and breadth of experience could significantly help get the Philadelphia squad over the hump and back into the World Series once again in 2026.