Don Mattingly Hot Seat Rumors Heat Up Despite Phillies Success

The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the best teams in the National League since making a managerial change early in the year.

Firing Rob Thomson wasn't an easy decision, but it was needed with the Phillies spiraling early on. Veteran Don Mattingly took over as the team's manager, and since, Philadelphia has looked like a different club.

Since taking over, Mattingly has completely transformed the Phillies, helping them get back into the playoff race. The veteran manager is 70-42 with Philadelphia this season, showing his worth to the organization.

But despite the success from the Phillies, Mattingly has been on the hot seat rumors all year. And it could see him not be brought back following the conclusion of the 2026 season.

It has been reported that the Phillies attempted to hire former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora before Marringly. Cora turned down the opportunity, instead wanting to say away from the game for a short time.

But now all the rumors around Cora coming to Philadelphia have sparked back up, leading to more thought that Marringly could be gone. MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided reported the latest on the rumors around the Phillies skipper.

"Mattingly is open to remaining the Phillies’ manager beyond the 2026 season, and he’s done a good job since taking over. The franchise has cut what was once a 10.5 game deficit in the National League East into only four games and look like a legitimate World Series threat. Mattingly is deserving of another go at it in Philadelphia, but the allure of Cora – and his connections to Dave Dombrowski – could be tough to overcome," Murray wrote.

The Phillies brass may want to see how the team plays in the postseason before making any decisions. But if this team were to get bounced out early again, Mattingly could be headed out the door.

Cora will be one of the best names available this offseason, and he could become the Phillies manager for the future. Mattingly was always seen as a short-term option, but the success that he's seen could impact this idea.

Everything will come down to the playoffs for the Phillies, and this unit will be judged by what they can accomplish there. Philadelphia has the pieces in place to be very competitive, and if they can win a title with Mattingly, it would become very tough to remove him from the role.