ESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsOct 15, 2026, 03:48 PM ETOpen Extended ReactionsNow that the manager position has been taken care of, the Philadelphia Phillies can get to work on the changes to come this offseason, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday.The Phillies poked around for other options, but they settled on retaining Don Mattingly, signing the interim manager to a two-year deal on Wednesday.Now Mattingly, who took over after Rob Thomson was fired in April, is ready to put his stamp on the team after going 79-55 to earn a National League Wild Card berth.”Last year really wasn’t my team,” Mattingly told reporters on a video call Thursday. “It was Thomps’ team. I took over from that point and just kind of just drove the car from there.”He added: “I think there are things that I want to do differently.”The Phillies’ aging core of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola have made five straight playoff appearances and averaged 91 wins per year during that stretch, but they haven’t won the World Series.Trea Turner, who led the NL in hitting and made only eight errors in 2025, regressed in his fourth season with the Phillies to a .242 batting average, a .675 OPS and a league-worst 21 errors at shortstop.
He went 1-for-10 in the playoffs and still has seven years left on his $300 million, 11-year deal, all but making him immovable in the trade market.The Dombrowski, 70, who is entering the final year of his contract in 2027, said he told Turner earlier this week that he needs to show in spring training he can play at shortstop or else the veteran could potentially move to the outfield.”He needs to fix some things with his swing,” Dombrowski said. “From a defensive perspective, we were very clear: He knows he has to be better at shortstop. I told him it’s really mandatory that it’s like that.”He’s determined to show us he can play it. I said, ‘You have to show it.
You cannot play shortstop like you did defensively in ’26 going to ’27.'”Changes are already being made, as the Phillies reached a $2.75 million deal to bring back lefty reliever Tim Mayza, who had a 3.48 ERA in 67⅓ innings in his first season with the team.Mattingly hired former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as his infield coach and third-base coach. Gone is hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson.And more changes loom. Third baseman Alec Bohm, who finished the season with 88 RBIs, is eligible for free agency, as is second baseman Luis Arraez, who was acquired at the trade deadline but missed the playoffs with a sprained left ankle. Prized prospect Aidan Miller is ready to compete for an infield spot after missing most of 2026 with a back injury.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
