The Philadelphia Phillies have finally made a move.
There hasn't been a whole lot to discuss when it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies this winter.
Yes, the Phillies re-signed Kyle Schwarber on a $150 million contract, and they added Adolis Garcia to man the outfield.
Otherwise, Philadelphia does not seem overly keen on spending money, although the Phillies were recently linked to free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette.
But on Monday morning, Philadelphia finally made a rather intriguing addition, but it wasn't a player. It was a new member of the coaching staff.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post has reported that the Phillies have brought in Don Mattingly as their bench coach, as Mattingly's contract with the Toronto Blue Jays — where he was also serving as bench coach — had expired.
Of course, Mattingly has plenty of managerial experience.
He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 through 2015, leading the Dodgers to three straight NL West division titles over his final three seasons with the club.
Don Mattingly. Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images.Mattingly then made his way to South Beach to manage the Miami Marlins for seven seasons between 2016 and 2022. During that time, he led the Marlins to their first playoff appearance in 17 years during the 2020 campaign and even guided them to a Wild Card Series victory.
He was awarded the National League Manager of the Year award for his work with Miami during that pandemic-shortened season.
Overall, though, Mattingly posted an 889-950 record as a big-league skipper. He ultimately took a job with the Blue Jays in 2023, serving under manager John Schneider.
Mattingly also had an impressive playing career with the New York Yankees that spanned from 1982 through 1995, making six All-Star appearances and winning an AL MVP award.
However, due to Mattingly's persistent back injuries during the second half of his major-league tenure, his career was shortened and he was unable to post the same numbers.
As a result, Mattingly has been left out of the Hall of Fame in spite of a very solid .307/.358/.471 career slash line.
Mattingly now joins a Phillies staff headed by Rob Thomson. We'll see if he can help Philadelphia make a deeper run next season.