Like it or not, Rob Thomson will be the Philadelphia Phillies’ manager in 2026. There is, however, a legitimate possibility of adding a well-known and experienced figure to the coaching staff this offseason.
The Phillies are searching for a new bench coach. Mike Calitri held the title since Thomson was promoted to interim manager during the 2022 season, but Calitri is transitioning to the team’s major league field coordinator for the 2026 season.
Don Mattingly checks all the boxes for Phillies’ vacant bench coach job
Legendary baseball figure Don Mattingly is exploring his next role in Major League Baseball. The 64-year-old won’t return to the Toronto Blue Jays, and he’s not looking to retire, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman (subscription required).
"Don Mattingly is stepping away from Jays on great terms and leaving them in excellent position. But this is not a retirement announcement and he’s open to new opportunities,"
Heyman reported on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
Mattingly is highly respected in the baseball world and has extensive experience as a coach, manager and player. He played 14 seasons with the New York Yankees and was the 1985 American League MVP. He was named to six consecutive All-Star Games from 1984 to 1989, earned nine Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers and won the AL batting title in 1984 with a .343 batting average.
After his playing career, Mattingly spent seven years as a special instructor during spring training with the Yankees from 1997 to 2003. He joined the Yankees’ coaching staff as their hitting coach in 2004, serving in that role through 2006 before transitioning to bench coach for the 2007 season.
Mattingly wasn’t offered the Yankees’ manager job following the 2007 season and instead joined the Los Angeles Dodgers’ coaching staff. He held the roles of hitting coach and major league special assignment coach between 2008 and 2010.
Mattingly got his first managerial experience with the Dodgers in 2011 and held the position through the 2015 season. He owned a .551 winning percentage across his five seasons managing the Dodgers with an 8-11 playoff record.
The Dodgers and Mattingly mutually agreed to part ways after the 2015 season, and he was hired as the Miami Marlins’ manager ahead of the 2016 season. He spent seven seasons as the Marlins’ manager through 2022, including one playoff appearance in the shortened 2020 season, in which he was named the National League Manager of the Year.
After spending the previous three years as the Blue Jays’ bench coach and coming off a World Series appearance in 2025, Mattingly is open to new opportunities. He has multiple connections to the Phillies’ organization, having spent time with Thomson in the Yankees organization, and Mattingly’s son, Preston, is the Phillies’ general manager.
The Phillies could benefit from fresh ideas, and there aren’t many better-qualified options to add to the coaching staff than Mattingly.