Phillies Hire Former Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza to Don Mattingly's Coaching Staff After Firings

Having formally announced the hiring of Don Mattingly as their full-time manager on Wednesday, Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has made another addition to the coaching staff.

Dombrowski announced on Thursday that former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will be the infield and third base coach on Mattingly's staff.

Another key takeaway from Dombrowski's press conference was Trea Turner's future at shortstop. He said the plan is to have Turner open 2027 at his usual spot, but he will need to prove throughout the year that he can stay there.

Infield defense was a huge problem for the Phillies this season, with Turner's decline being a primary culprit. He graded out as one of the best defensive shortstops in MLB in 2025, but his minus-eight outs above average this year was tied for 16th out of 19 qualified for shortstops.

It didn't help matters that Turner had the worst offensive season of his career with a .242/.297/.378 slash line in 157 games. He is owed $27.3 million every year through the 2033 season on his current contract.

Mendoza spent three seasons with the Mets from 2024 to '26. He was fired midway through this season after a 34-47 start, but his overall record was a solid 206-199.

The Mets made the playoffs in Mendoza's first year when they advanced to the NLCS before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.

Anthony Contreras, who was promoted to third-base coach during the 2026 season, is expected to remain with the club in a different role, per The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

Philadelphia's managerial job came open on April 28 when Rob Thomson was fired amid a 9-19 start to the 2026 season. He ended his tenure with 355 career wins, 10th-most in franchise history.

It looked like this was the start of a dramatic fall for the Phillies after making the playoffs in each of the previous four years, but they rebounded under Mattingly with a 79-55 record to clinch a playoff berth.

The Phillies are in a tricky position going forward that Mattingly will have to help them navigate. They entered 2026 with the third-oldest collection of position players by average age.

That's not a problem when Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are still raking, but other members of that group do seem like they have hit the wrong side of the aging curve. Turner, J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm are below-average hitters by OPS+.

The rotation is also likely to be entering a transition phase sooner than later. Aaron Nola had another difficult year after a rough 2025. Zack Wheeler remains dominant, but he will turn 37 in May and is entering the final year of his current deal.

Philadelphia's farm system has players with high-impact potential at the very top, but the group thins out quickly afterward. Andrew Painter's improvement after the All-Star break is an encouraging sign going forward.

Aidan Miller was limited to just four games in the minors in 2026 due to a back injury. He raked in the minors during the 2025 campaign with a .264/.392/.433 slash line in 116 games across two levels. Justin Crawford earned a spot on the 26-man roster out of spring training, but struggled in his first test against MLB pitching.

It seems likely that this could turn into a rebuilding situation sooner than later, but the bottom hasn't dropped off yet based on how this group rebounded after a slow start that led to Thomson's firing.

It's a dramatic turnaround for Mattingly, who was prepared to retire before his son and Phillies general manager, Preston Mattingly, talked him into coaching on Thomson's staff in 2026.

The ripple effects of that move are astounding looking at it now, though no one was anticipating Thomson to be dismissed 28 games into the season.

There is a risk of promoting the interim manager after a brief period of success, but Mattingly also has extensive managerial experience in big markets that he won't be overwhelmed by this.

Mattingly had 12 years of experience as a manager from 2011 to '22. He spent five seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, then moved on to the Miami Marlins prior to the 2016 season.

The 65-year-old won NL Manager of the Year in 2020 after leading the Marlins to the playoffs. He owns a 968-1,005 career managerial record including his interim record with the Phillies from 2026.