In his 13th season as a MLB manager -- and first as an interim -- Don Mattingly has worked his magic with the Philadelphia Phillies. He's turned them from an April pumpkin into an October contender, guiding them to a 78-51 record after taking over for Rob Thomson.
Still, pretty much from the moment he accepted the job, there's been no expectation that he'd become the permanent, full-time skipper beyond 2026. He's said that this is a temporary set-up until the Phillies can engage in a full managerial search over the offseason.
Then again, that's what Andy Green had been saying for months after taking over as the New York Mets' interim manager, and now he's the proud recipient of a three-year extension. That made him the second skipper of the day to shed the "interim" label, as Chad Tracy and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a three-year extension of their own on Tuesday.
Much like Mattingly, Tracy has done an excellent job pulling a fading team out of the gutter and back into the playoff mix. But that doesn't mean the Phillies or their 65-year-old leader should have a change of heart. Rather, the path has become wide open for them to hire his replacement.
Don Mattingly learning the wrong lesson from Mets, Red Sox could derail Phillies' Alex Cora pursuit
Before convincing Mattingly to take the job, the Phillies tried to hire Alex Cora (the man Tracy replaced) as their new manager. He wound up rejecting the offer to take some time to reflect on his MLB journey, but rumors continue to attach the two sides ahead of the offseason.
Cora and Dave Dombrowski won the 2018 World Series together in Boston, and their friendship is well known around the league. Previously, the Mets figured to pose a serious challenge to the Phillies' pursuit of Cora, but they've taken themselves out of the running by extending Green. There will be other teams that fire their managers once the season ends -- the Astros and Mariners will almost certainly have openings after their disappointing efforts this year -- but Philly has been courting Cora for months now. It'd be a genuine shock if he returns to coaching with any other team.
The real sticking point here is Mattingly. He's done a terrific job this season and is, by all accounts, well-liked by his players. But he's an older manager with a significant lack of postseason success on his résumé. He's probably not the right guy to lead this team going forward, especially as some of the current veteran core transitions into the final chapters of their respective careers.
It would hardly be a bad thing if Mattingly sticks around, but given the choice between him and Cora, the Phillies shouldn't make things harder than they have to be.
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