Phillies Part Ways with Manager, Focus Shifts to Mets

The Philadelphia Phillies have decided to part ways with their manager, creating a buzz of speculation around the Mets.

Currently, both the Phillies and Mets sit at the bottom of the MLB standings with identical records of 9-19. Rob Thomson’s tenure came to an end on Tuesday, marking his fifth season in charge.

Taking over as interim manager is Don Mattingly, who previously held the position of bench coach for the team.

Thomson, 62, had transitioned from bench coach to manager mid-way through the 2022 season, leading the Phillies to a World Series appearance—though they fell to the Astros in six games.

In recent seasons, the Phillies have performed well, winning over 90 games each year and making it to the NLCS in 2023, as well as the NLDS in 2024 and 2025. Expectations were notably high for this season, but, like the Mets, the Phillies have faced significant disappointment early on.

Their performance has been troubling; batting just .219, they hold the second-worst batting average in the league. Additionally, with only 102 runs scored, they rank third-worst as well, while the Mets are struggling defensively with 92 points given up.

On the pitching side, the Phillies have the third-highest ERA in baseball at 5.13.

One of the team’s major issues has been third baseman Alec Bohm, who is hitting only .143 with an OPS of .412 across 98 at-bats. Aaron Nola has posted a 6.03 ERA over six starts, while Jesus Luzardo’s ERA stands at 6.91 in five starts. Taijuan Walker was also sidelined after conceding 23 earned runs in just 22.3 innings.

Mattingly, 65, a celebrated figure from his Yankees days, recently served as the Blue Jays’ bench coach for the last three seasons, parting ways after helping the team reach the World Series last fall.

His managerial experience includes a stint with the Dodgers from 2011 to 2015, leading them to playoffs during each of his last three years. He moved on after the Dodgers fell to the Mets in the 2015 NLDS.

Following that, Mattingly spent seven years managing the Marlins, leading them to the playoffs only once during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, where they lost to the Braves in the NLDS.

In the wake of these changes, third base coach Dusty Wasan will step up as the new bench coach, while Triple-A manager Anthony Contreras is set to fill Wasan’s former role.

Philadelphia now becomes the second MLB team this season to let go of a manager, following the Red Sox’s decision to fire Alex Cora and several of his staff members on Saturday.

This all raises an interesting question: will the Mets make a similar move? Cora, who previously led the Red Sox to a championship in 2018, might consider diving back into coaching with the Phillies if he’s looking to return to the field soon.