BREAKING: Phillies Expected to Remove the Interim Tag from Don Mattingly

Don't call him interim anymore. The Phillies are expected to name Don Mattingly their full-time manager for the 2027 season, per The Athletic's Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes, with an announcement expected later this week. MLB Network's Jon Heyman also reported Wednesday that the team was leaning that way.

Here's the story: Mattingly, 65, took over in late April after the Phillies fired Rob Thomson with the club sitting 10 games under .500. He steadied the ship — 79-55 the rest of the way, .590-ball, a pace good enough to back into the final National League Wild Card spot on the last day of the season. But the ending was ugly: a three-game sweep at the hands of the Braves in the Wild Card round, and three straight postseasons without a series win.

The irony? Mattingly wasn't the first choice. Team president Dave Dombrowski went after Alex Cora — twice, in April and again after the season — and got told no both times, with Cora planning to sit out 2027. So the fallback option becomes the guy. Mattingly originally signed a two-year deal to be the bench coach, so the Phillies will have to rework his contract to hand him the dugout full-time.

Why the rush to decide? A potential MLB work stoppage is looming on December 2, and teams want managers in place who already know the players — because once a lockout hits, there's no contact until it's settled.

Full breakdown on the blog — and as always, we'll see if the Philly fanbase is buying what Dombrowski's selling.

Sources: The Athletic (Matt Gelb, Charlotte Varnes), Jon Heyman/MLB Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia.