Don Mattingly staying on as Philadelphia Phillies' manager, losing "interim" title

Don Mattingly is staying on as the Philadelphia Phillies' manager for at least the next two seasons, and the team has dropped his "interim" tag.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement Wednesday morning, confirming earlier reports. He said Mattingly has signed a two-year deal.

Mattingly, lovingly referred to as "Donnie Baseball," is the father of Phillies vice president and general manager Preston Mattingly and has 12 seasons as an MLB manager under his belt between the Dodgers and Marlins.

Taking over after a disastrous start to the 2026 season, the Phils went 79-55 under Mattingly and made the postseason on the last day of the regular season.

He was previously serving as the team's bench coach before the team fired manager Rob Thomson. Mattingly was under contract as the club's bench coach for 2027 before signing on as full-time manager.

Mattingly, 65, will take the reins ahead of the 2027 season, which could be at risk of being delayed or shortened pending negotiations of MLB's collective bargaining agreement, CBS Sports reports.

The Phillies are looking to turn around their fortunes and advance further into the MLB postseason with their highly paid — and aging — core of stars. The Fightins were eliminated by the Braves in the National League Wild Card Series on Oct. 1.  

Earlier this month, Alex Cora reportedly turned down Dave Dombrowski's offer to become the Phillies' manager. Cora was initially offered the job in April after he was let go by the Red Sox, with the Phillies position open following Thomson's firing.

The news was first reported by The Athletic.