The Philadelphia Phillies have had quite the turnaround after making a managerial change earlier in the season.
The Phillies fired Rob Thomson back on April 28 following a 9-19 start to their season, with bench coach and former MLB manager Don Mattingly taking over on an interim basis.
And it's safe to say that change has paid off nicely for the Phillies. Since Mattingly took over as the skipper, the Phillies have posted the second-best record in all of baseball, going 42-23 and are just 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
While there is still a ton of season left, Mattingly revealed that he may want to return as the Phillies' full-time manager next year.
Before Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, Mattingly admitted that he was interested in managing the Phillies beyond this season.
"Oh, I would do it," Mattingly said. "I kind of committed myself to two years with the Phillies when I came over. So, whatever [president of baseball operations] Dave [Dombrowski] wants to do in that regard. But yeah, I think I would like to do it."
After Thomson was fired, Dombrowski reached out to Alex Cora, who was fired by the Boston Red Sox, about potentially taking over as the Phillies manager. Cora ultimately declined to spend time with his family.
However, Cora will at least be vetted by the Phillies for their managerial position after this season and will surely be a hot commodity for other teams that will potentially need a new manager.
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Mattingly's track record, though, throughout his two decades as a big-league skipper or coach, has certainly earned him an opportunity to manage beyond this season. His son, Preston Mattingly, is also the Phillies' general manager.
With Mattingly leading the way for the Phillies, the team is in a prime position to make the playoffs for a fifth straight season and win their third straight division title. Bringing Mattingly back as manager in 2027 may end up being the right decision for the Phillies.
