Don Mattingly has no problem being the fallback option.
The Phillies are expected to name Mattingly, who finished the 2026 season as the interim manager, as their full-time skipper after being spurned by Alex Cora for the second time, according to The Athletic.
Cora previously told the team “no” prior to the NL East squad promoting Mattingly in late April after firing Rob Thomson amid a horrible start.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Wednesday morning that Mattingly has a “decent chance or better” to remain as the Phlilies’ manager.
That Mattingly would ultimately emerge as the team’s skipper heading into the 2027 season is a bit of a surprise considering the franchise had not seem set on doing so.
Following the team’s three-game wild-card exit against the Braves, a report emerged that Mattingly would be “gracefully dimissed” as manager but offered the chance to stay in an advisory role.
Mattingly is still under contract for 2027 but as part of his bench coach role that he agreed to ahead of the 2026 campaign, per The Athletic.
The Phillies and top baseball exec Dave Dombrowski attempted to lure Cora — who won a World Series in 2018 when the pair worked for the Red Sox — back to a dugout after Boston fired him last April, but he opted to avoid the quick return, mostly due to family reasons, Heyman reported.
With an expected lockout coming, the Phillies instead are keeping Mattingly in place rather than hire a new manager and deal with the potential issues that could arise from a communications standoff.
Mattingly’s son, Preston, serves as the team’s general manager.
The 65-year-old inherited a 9-19 team this year and the Phillies went 79-55 under his watch to secure the third and final NL wild-card spot.
He told the Associated Press in July that he would like the chance to remain as manager if offered the opportunity.
The Phillies’ unceremonious exit caused some consternation among fans since it continued the recent trend of poor postseason play since the team’s 2022 World Series loss.
The Phillies have lost in the NLCS, NLDS, NLDS and now the Wild Card over the last four seasons, respectively.
There are questions about the team’s aging core and the lineup depth beyond the big two of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, and Mattingly will now be the one tasked with getting more from this group.
