Phillies Make Major Offseason Addition – Patch

Phillies Make Major Offseason Addition  Patch

The Phillies have made their first move of a highly anticipated offseason. PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Phillies have signed Don Mattingly to a new two-year contract as their manager, they announced Wednesday morning, marking the first major move of an offseason following a disappointing early exit from the playoffs. Mattingly turned the Phillies 2026 season around. When he took over on April 28, they were 9-19 and shared the worst record in the National League. From that point forward, they went 79-55 to the end of the season, a 96-win pace that was fourth best in all of baseball. The manager is often the simplest scapegoat for a team falling short of its goals, but it's hard to imagine what more Mattingly could have done.

Rumors have swirled for weeks following the Phillies loss in the Wild Card round regarding their future leadership and personnel. While many believed that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski wanted Alex Cora for the job, his former manager in Boston, he never got the chance, as Cora said he was not returning to baseball this year. Numerous media reports confidently indicated, following the Phillies elimination from the playoffs, that Mattingly was gone. It's the first among many largely baseless rumors about drastic changes within the organization that will likely prove false. The Phillies, for instance, are