The Philadelphia Phillies fired Rob Thomson this year, and Don Mattingly took over as the interim manager.
The Phillies were 9-19 with Thomson, and their season was headed off the rails. Mattingly got things back on track, in large part because his players started playing to their potential. However, the Phillies' season ended in the Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Mattingly was solid as the manager, and with Alex Cora deciding he does not want to manage in 2027, Mattingly could be the top choice in Philadelphia.
"Don Mattingly appears to have a decent or better chance to be retained as Phillies manager," MLB insider Jon Heyman wrote of Mattingly's chances to be back as the Phillies manager on X. "Went 79-55 to get into playoffs after taking over 9-19 team and has the respect of players and front office."
Experience aside, the benefit of keeping Mattingly around is that the Phillies already know how he fits into their culture and clubhouse. The Phillies are not an easy team to manage given all of the expectations, pressure and personalities in the clubhouse. Mattingly handled things well this season and should be the top choice for Dave Dombrowski.
Heyman reports that his chances of being the next manager are solid, but the Phillies will still likely interview some other candidates.