BALTIMORE, MD – JULY 31: Manager Don Mattingly #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 31, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies have undergone a dramatic turnaround since replacing Rob Thomson with interim manager Don Mattingly, putting themselves in position to reach the postseason after a disastrous start.
And with Mattingly guiding the club who,e holding an interim title, questions about his future in the dugout have been prominent.
Those questions became even more interesting on Tuesday when the division rival New York Mets made a surprising decision of their own. After replacing Carlos Mendoza with Andy Green during the season, New York announced that Green accepted a three-year extension despite consistent indications that he would be stepping down at the end of the season.
“Green, who had been saying he would move back into the front office after the season, has done an about-face and agreed to a three-year contract as the Mets’ permanent manager,” Joseph Staszewski reported for the New York Post. “Green has led the Amazin’s to a 37-38 record since taking over as interim manager for the fired Carlos Mendoza in June.”
That surprising move pushed the Phillies to reveal their own decision on Mattingly’s future.
Philadelphia Phillies Offer Response On Don Mattingly Extension After Rival New York Mets’ Stunner
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated that the organization has decided to wait until the end of the season to make its permanent manager decision, despite the Mets’ extension.
“(We) have felt it is better to wait until our season is complete,” Dombrowski told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber in a text message shortly after the Mets’ decision to extend Green.
Mattingly originally joined Philadelphia as its bench coach and took over after the Phillies fired Thomson following a 9-19 start. His son, Preston, is also part of Dombrowski’s front office, adding another interesting connection to the situation.
The results under Mattingly have made the decision more complicated. Entering Tuesday, the Phillies were 77-51 under their interim manager and held a four-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s final wild-card spot with six games remaining.
Mattingly has also publicly indicated that he would be interested in staying as manager if Dombrowski wants to give him the title.
Philadelphia Phillies Appear To Keep Door Open To World Series Championship Manager After New York Mets Move
Even with the team’s turnaround, Dombrowski appears to be holding off on extending Dombrowski because he is holding the door open for alex Cora.
Dombrowski previously worked with Cora in Boston, where the two helped lead the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship. The Phillies president has also spoken highly of Cora, creating a potential complication for Mattingly’s bid to shed the interim label.
“If (Alex) Cora wants to return to managing next season, maybe Dombrowski is keeping the Phillies’ seat warm,” Lauber wrote. “In April, he referred to Cora as ‘one of the finest managers in the game of baseball’ and compared him favorably to Hall of Fame managers Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa.”
That makes the postseason especially important for Mattingly. While the Mets have already removed the uncertainty surrounding Green, Philadelphia appears content to let the season play out before making its own call, with a World Series appearance possibly the only outcome that could keep Mattingly in place.
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