Phillies Promote Preston Mattingly To General Manager
The Phillies announced today that vice president and general manager Sam Fuld is pursuing his MBA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is slated to graduate in May of 2026, at which point he will take the title of president of business operations. Assistant general manager Preston Mattingly has been promoted to take the role of vice president and general manager.
Fuld, 42, played in the majors from 2007 to 2015. Given that he went to college at Stanford and majored in economics, he was viewed by many in the game as a future front office member. He got hired by the Phillies in 2017 with the title of major league player information coordinator. His name was then connected to various managerial openings over the years but he stuck with the Phils and was promoted to GM going into 2021. Dave Dombrowski had just been hired as the club’s president of baseball operations and Fuld would be second on the baseball decision-making pyramid.
The two sides have seemingly been happy with the relationship. In December of 2022, Fuld and the Phils signed an extension running through December 2025. In October of 2023, the Red Sox had some interest in Fuld replace chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, though Fuld declined to be interviewed for the opening.
Since Dombrowski is 68 years old, many considered Fuld a sort of protege or a president-in-waiting, but now it seems he is planning a shift. His focus will be away from the club for the next couple of years and he will return to direct his attention to the business side, rather than the baseball side.
Mattingly, 37, will now take over as Dombrowski’s second-in-command. The son of Don Mattingly, Preston played in the minors for a while but never got higher than High-A. He pivoted to non-playing roles, working with the Padres in the scouting department. In the fall of 2021, he was plucked away by the Phils, who hired him as director of player development.
He has clearly impressed the Phils, as he got promoted to assistant general manager just two years later, in November of 2023. After a year with that title, he has gotten bumped up again. He is still second on the club’s front office hierarchy, but it’s an impressive rise in a short time and it’s possible that he could eventually replace Dombrowski, depending on how things go. For now, given that there’s more than 30 years’ difference in age between the two, Mattingly will presumably be absorbing everything he can about the role from Dombrowski as he takes on a larger piece of the club’s front office makeup.
Phillies Notes: Nola, Castellanos, Front Office
As right-hander Aaron Nola hits free agency for the first time in his career, there have been indications of mutual interest in a reunion with the Phillies, as both Nola and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have spoken publicly about a desire to continue the relationship into 2024 and beyond. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi cautions, however, that the sides are not “at all close on a reunion.” While Morosi acknowledges the “strong” relationship between Nola and the Phillies, he suggests that due to the number of teams in the market for pitching help this season, there’s a “better than 50/50” chance that Nola is able to find a better offer outside of Philadelphia.
That Nola’s camp wouldn’t look to get together on a deal with the Phillies this early in the offseason is hardly surprising. After all, the sides were unable to agree on an extension prior to the 2023 campaign, and with Nola now a free agent he figures to be one of the most attractive rotation arms on the open market this offseason to teams in need of pitching. He ranked fifth overall in MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents list this offseason, behind only NPB superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto and left-hander Blake Snell among this offseason’s starting pitching market. That being said, there’s still reason for optimism regarding a reunion between the sides, as Morosi suggests that Nola could give the Phillies the opportunity to match if he receives a better offer elsewhere.
Of course, Nola is far from the only quality starter on the market, meaning the Phillies will have plenty of alternatives available should he depart for another club this winter. In addition to Yamamoto and Snell, left-handers Jordan Montgomery and Shota Imanaga figure to be among the upper-tier rotation arms available this offseason. Veteran right-hander Sonny Gray is also available this offseason and has already been connected to the Phillies, while Brewers ace Corbin Burnes and Rays righty Tyler Glasnow are among the front-of-the-rotation caliber arms who could potentially be available in trade this offseason.
More from the Phillies…
- ESPN’s Buster Olney reported earlier today that Philadelphia has “no intention” of trading outfielder Nick Castellanos this offseason. While previous reporting had indicated that the club could be open to moving Castellanos, MLBTR’s Steve Adams discussed the pitfalls in such a strategy yesterday. Given the likelihood that Philadelphia would likely have to attach a prospect or eat significant salary to move the remaining three seasons on Castellanos’s deal, it’s hardly a surprise that the club doesn’t expect to deal the two-time All Star ahead of his age-32 campaign. With Kyle Schwarber set to be the club’s regular DH and Bryce Harper poised to remain at first base long term, Castellanos figures to remain entrenched as the club’s everyday right fielder, with Brandon Marsh in left and Johan Rojas in center barring any additions to the club’s outfield mix.
- The Phillies recently announced a series of promotions in their front office, headlined by Brian Barber being promoted to the role of assistant GM, amateur scouting and Preston Mattingly being promoted to the role of assistant GM, player development. Barber has overseen the club’s amateur drafts since joining the club following the 2019 season. Mattingly, the son of longtime player and manager Don Mattingly, joined the Phillies as director of player development at the end of the 2021 season after five years as a member of the Padres’ scouting department.
Phillies Notes: Stott, Mattingly, Player Development, Bench
Bryson Stott is expected to make his MLB debut in 2022, with the Phillies hoping that the top prospect can provide some immediate help to a lineup that both has plenty of holes, and is in need of a youth infusion. Stott has spent most of his two pro seasons at shortstop, but “if I have to move over [to another position], it is what it is,” Stott told NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury and other reporters. “I just want to do anything I can do to get to Philadelphia and help that city and that team win. So whatever it may be, if it’s short or anywhere else, it’s obviously not up to me.”
Stott has also seen action at second and third base during his time in the minors, giving the Phillies some flexibility in determining both his eventual everyday role and what they might pursue roster-wise once the lockout is over. Second baseman Jean Segura is entering the last year of his contract and third baseman Alec Bohm is looking to bounce back from a rough 2021, and might not stick at third base over the long term anyway. It is also possible Stott might simply remain at shortstop, given how president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said back in October that incumbent Didi Gregorius wasn’t a guaranteed to even return in 2022, let alone remain the starting shortstop. The Phillies will benefit from some extra time to monitor Stott during ongoing minor league minicamps and minor league spring camp next month, as Stott isn’t locked out since he isn’t yet on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster.
More from the City of Brotherly Love….
- A breakout performance from Stott would be a nice win for a Phillies organization has had well-documented issues in drafting and developing players who eventually contribute at the big league level. Newly-hired player development director Preston Mattingly has a lot of work ahead in turning things around, though Mattingly told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and other reporters that “our system’s a lot deeper than people give it credit….I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a bunch of other teams’ top guys, and I think the guys in our system stack up with those guys. They don’t get the recognition that others do.” In the first months of his tenure, Mattingly has prioritized improving communication within the organization and throughout the different levels of the minor leagues, focusing on making sure that “everybody has the same message when it goes from staff to players…getting everybody with a consistent message going in the same direction” and also that the players themselves are well-informed about the team’s plans. As Mattingly put it, “it’s all a team effort, right? The players, the staff — it’s a two-way street. We got to work together; it’s their career, we’re trying to help them in any way possible.”
- Bench depth and pinch-hitting are both areas of need for the Phillies to address after the lockout, as The Athletic’s Matt Gelb notes that the team got very little pop from their pinch-hitters in 2021. The likely introduction of the universal DH will create the need for more position-player help, as Gelb indicates that the Phillies are going to rotate their everyday starters through the DH position rather than have a regular designated hitter.
Front Office Notes: Padres, Rangers, Phillies, Royals
As the offseason nears, we’ve started to see some movement of front office personnel across teams. A few clubs have made significant changes to their executive staffs over the past few days.
- Rangers assistant general manager Mike Daly is departing the organization to join the Padres’ front office, reports Jeff Wilson. (Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported this morning that Daly and the Friars were in talks). Daly had spent fifteen years with Texas working in international scouting and player development, the last five of which had come as assistant GM. He’ll now reunite with former Rangers’ executive A.J. Preller in San Diego. Daly becomes the second Rangers’ AGM in as many months to leave the organization; Shiraz Rehman departed in August, as the front office structure in Arlington continues to evolve under president of baseball ops Jon Daniels and first-year GM Chris Young.
- While the Padres added one executive, they saw another depart. San Diego coordinator of advance scouting Preston Mattingly was hired as Phillies director of player development. (Dennis Lin of the Athletic first reported the news). Mattingly, the son of Marlins’ manager Don Mattingly and a former first-round draft choice, had spent the past five seasons with the Friars. The Padres have already seen quite a bit of turnover in the front office on the heels of their second half collapse.
- The Royals announced a pair of promotions yesterday. Lonnie Goldberg has been promoted from assistant GM/amateur scouting to vice president of player personnel, while Danny Ontiveros has been bumped up from assistant director of scouting to scouting director. Both Goldberg and Ontiveros have been in the Kansas City organization for well over a decade, with much of that time spent in the club’s scouting department. Earlier this month, the Royals bumped longtime baseball operations leader Dayton Moore up to president of baseball operations, promoted AGM J.J. Piccolo to general manager, and brought veteran executive Gene Watson back into the fold after he departed Kansas City to join the Angels last winter.