Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski Announces Bullpen & Coaching Staff Signings

The Philadelphia Phillies got their offseason started much earlier than they had hoped, losing to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Wild Card Round.

With an offseason priority list that was as long as a CVS receipt, the Phillies wasted no time getting to work. At the top of that to-do list was figuring out the manager role, which they recently did.

After Alex Cora turned them down a second time, Philadelphia pivoted to a familiar face: Don Mattingly. The interim manager in place of Rob Thomson, Mattingly agreed to a two-year deal with the team to become the full-time manager, replacing the contract that ran through 2027 as the bench coach.

With Mattingly in place, the team is working quickly to fill out the coaching staff under him. Hitting coach Kevin Long will not be back, and the team is moving on from infield coach Bobby Dickerson as well. Anthony Contreras, who was promoted to MLB third base coach from Triple-A manager after Mattingly was named interim manager, will not be back in that specific role but will remain with the franchise.

Phillies hire Carlos Mendoza, re-sign Tim Mayza

The Phillies aren’t waiting around to fill those vacancies, as Dombrowski has already announced one addition. Carlos Mendoza, the former manager of the New York Mets, has been hired as the team’s new infield and third base coach.

Mendoza was relieved of his duties as their NL East rivals after a disappointing 34-47 start to the 2026 season. He was replaced by Andy Green, who had the interim tag removed and was signed to a three-year deal.

Mendoza could have a few new faces to work with in the infield. Rumors are swirling that Trea Turner won’t be back at shortstop, while Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez are both set to hit free agency.

Along with the coaching hire, Dombrowski announced a player signing. Left-handed relief pitcher Tim Mayza is back with the team after agreeing to a one-year deal.

The veteran originally landed with the Phillies via waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in August 2025. He made seven appearances with Philadelphia, agreeing to a minor league contract with the team during the offseason.

Mayza performed so well that he earned a spot on the Opening Day roster and turned in one of the most productive seasons of his career. He threw a career-high 67.1 innings, producing a 3.48 ERA and 64 strikeouts, resulting in a bWAR of 1.5.

Effective against left- and right-handed batters, Mayza is someone who could factor into the higher-leverage mix more in 2027, given how poorly the bullpen performed again overall.

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