Don Mattingly Phillies Twist Shrinks Mariners’ Manager Market

The Mariners’ managerial search is getting slightly uncomfortable. Honestly, that might be a good thing. Torey Lovullo is staying in Arizona. Stephen Vogt appears to be unavailable. Alex Cora has reportedly turned down Philadelphia again. Now Don Mattingly, one of the most obvious experienced candidates for Seattle, could remain with the Phillies after all.

That last part is kind of funny. Mattingly had already said he wanted to remain the Phillies’ manager, yet Philadelphia and Dave Dombrowski were apparently confident enough in landing Alex Cora that they told Mattingly they would find another role for him in the organization. Then Cora said, essentially, “Nah.”

Now the Phillies are circling back to Mattingly, and he’ll probably stay. After all, his son is the club’s general manager, the job is familiar and nobody wants an awkward Thanksgiving.

For the Mariners, that means the market continues to shrink. But their standards shouldn’t shrink with it.

Jerry Dipoto said previous major-league managerial experience “would be preferred,” but it is not required. Experience is far more valuable than desperation. The Mariners can’t start treating every former manager still available as a chair in a game of musical chairs. They shouldn’t be reaching out to the last available recognizable name who has managed a ballclub. They need to find the right person to take over a talented team that badly needs a new voice and sharper standards.

They just moved on from Dan Wilson after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Whatever wording the organization prefers, that decision was a demand for change. Hiring the most convenient veteran left on the board would turn that supposed culture reset into another half-measured move.

Don Mattingly May Not Be the Mariners’ Decision to Make

Mattingly made sense as an interview because his résumé is legit. He has managed stars in enormous markets and spent more than two decades on major-league coaching staffs. He also helped stabilize Philadelphia after taking over for Rob Thomson during a disastrous start.

If the Phillies retain him, Seattle loses another experienced option. So be it. As long as the Mariners don’t race toward whichever former manager remains unemployed. There’s no reason to settle for a lesser hire here.

The Mariners Still Have Real Choices Beyond Mattingly

Losing Mattingly wouldn’t leave the Mariners rummaging through what’s left. The market still has candidates worth a serious interview; they just don’t come with the same celebrity wrapping.

Rocco Baldelli is available after seven seasons in Minnesota. He won three division titles and an AL Manager of the Year award, but his Twins tenure also ended with consecutive fourth-place finishes.

Brandon Hyde offers a different case. He helped oversee Baltimore’s climb from a 110-loss disaster to a 101-win division champion, winning AL Manager of the Year in 2023 along the way. The Orioles eventually fired him.

Then there are less conventional possibilities. The Seattle Times’ Adam Jude identified Mets bench coach Kai Correa and Pirates coach Kristopher Negrón among the names to watch. Neither would satisfy the demand for a veteran name, but that cannot be the only filter. Correa has experience with game strategy and infield instruction, while Negrón already knows parts of the Mariners organization from his time on Seattle’s coaching staff.

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