Phillies Had Interest in Another Candidate Before Don Mattingly Decision

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Don Mattingly to a two-year contract to return as the manager. Mattingly was named the interim manager early in the season after Rob Thomson got off to a 9-19 start and was dismissed.

Mattingly turned the season around and led the Phillies into the postseason. However, his place as the manager wasn't certain, and Philadelphia considered another candidate with ties to the franchise.

Former Phillies outfielder Raúl Ibañez, who was part of the 2009 team that reached the World Series, spoke with Philadelphia about becoming the next manager. Ibañez opted to remain in his current role as the Vice President of Baseball Development and Special Projects for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While Ibañez hasn't been a manager, he has been in the Dodgers' front office and will likely be a candidate for other manager jobs in the future. He had a great MLB career, hitting .272/.335/.465 with 305 home runs, 424 doubles, 51 triples, 1,207 RBIs, 1,055 runs, and an .807 OPS.

Ibañez earned the only All-Star nod of his career in the 2009 season with Philadelphia, slashing .272/.347/.552 with 34 home runs, 32 doubles, three triples, 93 RBIs, 93 runs, and an .899 OPS. 

Across his three years with the Phillies, he slashed .264/.329/.469 with 70 home runs, 100 doubles, nine triples, 260 RBIs, 233 runs, and a .798 OPS. Ibañez was a productive hitter for Philadelphia and helped them contend in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

For now, Ibañez will stay in his role with the Dodgers, but teams could express interest in him as a manager in the coming years. Philadelphia will keep Mattingly, who led them to a 79-55 record in 2026.

The Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves, 2-1, in the NL Wild Card game. Philadelphia has a veteran roster with stars like Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and others, which gives them a limited window to win the title. 

The Phillies made it to the World Series in 2022, but lost to the Houston Astros in six games. Mattingly is an experienced manager, as he spent 2011-2015 with the Dodgers, going 446-363. He was then with the Miami Marlins from 2016-2022, going 443-587.

He has proven he can win games, particularly during his run with the Dodgers and the 2026 season with Philadelphia. However, the Phillies need to add more talent this offseason to give them a chance to make a deeper postseason run.