Well, we knew it was happening, but it officially happened on Monday afternoon: Don Mattingly has left the Toronto Blue Jays and has signed on as the new bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies and manager Rob Thomson.

Mattingly said in November that he wasn't going to return to the Blue Jays, but it was unclear why. We speculated that maybe he was a possibility for the managerial vacancies with either the San Diego Padres or Colorado Rockies, but those did not come to fruition. 

Mattingly's son is also the general manager of the Phillies, which could have played a role in his decisions.

As MLBTradeRumors notes, Don Mattingly and Thomson also worked together in the New York Yankees organization:

Even if they weren’t on the same big league staff, however, Mattingly and Thomson worked together with the Yankees. Mattingly was a minor league instructor prior to being added to the big league staff as hitting coach in 2003. During that time, Thomson worked both as a minor league manager and as a key figure in the Yankees’ player development department, where the two aligned to work with the Yankees’ up-and-coming talen

About Mattingly

One of the best players of the 1980s and early 1990s, he spent 14 years in the big leagues with the Yankees. A lifetime .307 hitter, he blasted 222 career home runs and drove in 1,099 runs. He also had 442 doubles, leading the majors in the category each year from 1984-1986. 

A former MVP, he was also a nine-time Gold Glove winner, a batting champion and a six-time All-Star. He also won three Silver Slugger Awards.

Mattingly was just named to the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but ultimately fell short of earning induction into Cooperstown.

He's previously served as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins.

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What this means for the Jays

Well, we never know exactly how vital supplementary coaches are to a team's success, but considering the Blue Jays just got to the World Series, it's fair to be disappointed that the staff won't have continuity in 2026.

That said, the Jays have done everything they can (so far) to ensure they get back to the World Series next season. They've already signed Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers and Kazuma Okamoto, the latter inking a four-year deal worth $60 million. 

Perhaps all those moves, with a possible addition of Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, will help supersede the loss of a valuable coaching staff member.

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