Why Phillies might be stuck with Dave Dombrowski, Don Mattingly for another year

Why Phillies might be stuck with Dave Dombrowski, Don Mattingly for another year originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The 2026 season for the Philadelphia Phillies was a very disappointing one. While they made the playoffs and had a resurgent middle of the season, and plenty of individual milestones were accomplished, the outcome was not what the fans were hoping for at all.

It was another early playoff exit, this time in the Wild Card round. Following their NL Wild Card loss to the Atlanta Braves, it would not be a surprise if the Phillies made some sweeping changes to the organization.

However, as Matt Gelb and Jayson Stark of The Athletic highlighted, Alex Cora is not planning to return to MLB in 2027, potentially leaving the Phillies with no choice but to run it back with Don Mattingly and Dave Dombrowski next season.

Phillies might run it back again, this time with front office and manager spots

“But Mattingly was Dombrowski’s second choice in April. He might be the second choice this time. And, still, he could be the choice,” Stark and Gelb write.

With Cora seemingly turning down the Phillies’ manager job offer, Philadelphia is going to need to find a new manager to take over for the long term.

But that might end up being Mattingly once again. Dombrowski originally wanted Cora right after Rob Thomson was fired, but he turned down the gig then. After the season’s come to a close, it appears he’s turning it down one more time.

That potentially means Dombrowski will, for the second time in the last calendar year, turn to Mattingly as the team’s second option to be their manager.

Dombrowski appears locked into this job and is likely to sign a long-term extension. While some fans might want sweeping changes, it’s looking likely that Dombrowski isn’t going anywhere.

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And with this Cora news, that he isn’t planning to return to MLB in 2027, the Phillies might once again turn to Mattingly after he helped them turn the 2026 season around.

Of course, running it back would frustrate many Phillies fans. There have been real concerns about the Phillies running it back with the players in recent years.

Running it back with the manager and front office executive spots would certainly be unpopular. Change feels like it’s necessary for this team to get back into the postseason and over the hump for a deep run.

But, as of now, it’s looking like a repeat of 2026 is in order with Dombrowski as the president of baseball operations, and Mattingly as the manager.

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