Coaching staffs are coming together around the league. The Nationals and Marlins have made recent additions, while the Phillies are close to bringing a former manager back to the division.
- Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Lochlahn March of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that the team is looking to hire Don Mattingly as a bench coach. “It’s not official, but we have really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we’re hopeful that it will,” Dombrowski said. Mattingly has been a bench coach in Toronto for the past three seasons. It was reported shortly after the Blue Jays’ World Series loss that he wouldn’t be returning to the team. Mattingly previously spent seven seasons coaching in the NL East, as the Marlins manager from 2016 to 2022.
- Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni shared details on manager Blake Butera’s coaching staff with reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. The list includes recent additions Corey Ray as first base coach and Grant Anders as bullpen catcher, but one of the more notable names is the lone holdover, Sean Doolittle. Washington is retaining the former closer as an assistant pitching coach. Doolittle came on board with the title of pitching strategist in 2024, shortly after his retirement as a player. The lefty saved 75 games for the Nats across five seasons.
- The Marlins are expected to hire Blake Butler as an infield coach, reports Isaac Azout of Fish On First. He’s taking over for Tyler Smarslok, who took a gig as field coordinator with the Nationals. Butler has been a minor league coach in Pittsburgh’s system since 2020. He’s managed Single-A Greensboro for the past two seasons.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images
Donnie Baseball still finding work, huh? Amazing.
He will work with….for his son.
Donnie should always have a job in MLB as a coach or manager.
Good, good. Stay close enough to NY, Donnie. Still want to see him manage the Yankees after Boone.
Tbh at this point I just want to see him back with the organization at this point. Unfortunately they haven’t been eager to engage in those conversations.
I don’t see Boone leaving any time soon, maybe as a bench coach if Brad Ausmus isn’t brought back?
I don’t see the managing gig happening, but if he’s open to non-management positions then the Yankees should be all in.
And he won’t even have to shave his side burns now.
One can dream, guys.
Donnie Baseball was my first favorite athlete — started when I was about 6-7 years old.
I’m already thrilled his son is in the Phillies organization. But I’ll be ecstatic should they get Mattingly onboard as well.
I’m really looking forward to it even though I know it’s an afterthought for most Phillies fans.
Why don’t the Jays want Donnie baseball back?
I don’t think the relationship with John Schneider was entirely smooth. Mattingly was his bench coach and supposedly first guy to talk with about things but him and Schneids were never together in the dugout. Opposite ends of the bench.
They were talking during the World Series
I have no idea if they got along behind closed doors, but the notion that they were at opposite ends of the bench in a huff or something is absolute nonsense.
Schneider had two guys at his side consistently over the last few seasons, Don Mattingly and Pete Walker the pitching coach.
Mattingly would sometimes leave the railing to go tell a player he was coming in or talk to a trainer or whatever but he would come right back. Neither he nor Schneider are so unprofessional as to be pouting at opposite ends of the dugout.
FYI, here’s what it looked like from the World Series…
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2243325644/photo/world-series-los-angeles-dodgers-v-toronto-blue-jays-game-two.webp?s=2048×2048&w=gi&k=20&c=AJQAU4EKFxxab1KFmes8Ut3MPUaY7HjlIxOFwcdivkA=
All I saw during the World Series around John was Pete and an older Hispanic gentleman who I believe was Carlos Febles, (looking at the 2025 coaching staff I don’t who else would have fit that profile.) At any rate, I got the sense they weren’t collaborators near the end and the writing was on the wall that Mattingly was the odd man out. This was apparent from interviews he gave at the end of the season where you could sense Mattingly was moving on. This isn’t important enough to argue about in the grand scheme of things; I’m just telling you what I observed and how it was not any surprise to me that Don was leaving.
“we have really focused on speaking with Don…”
Donnie, will you be our bench coach?:
🀆 Yes
🀆 No
🀆 Maybe
Don is a world series CURSE………….NADA PHILLIES
How is he a World Series curse?
He never won as a player or coach maybe