Phillies Hire Mets Ex-Manager, Give Key Updates On Bryce Harper, Trea Turner

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Phillies president Dave Dombrowski

Below is a rundown of the most important moves and insights from the morning.

Hitting coach Kevin Long and fielding coach Bobby Dickerson dismissed

Long has faced intense scrutiny since the Phillies offensive inconsistencies and hot and cold streaks caught up with them in the 2023 NLCS. He's since been an unpopular figure with the fanbase, but was also praised widely by Phillies hitters. That includes Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, who finished 2nd and 5th in the 2025 NL MVP voting under his tutelage.

Dickerson has been a more popular figure, and has seen great results in developing Bryson Stott into a Gold Glove-caliber fielder while helping Alec Bohm turn himself into a highly competent third baseman. But 2026 was one of the worst defensive years in Phillies history, with nearly every regular save Stott taking a big step back.

Both Dickerson have been with the squad since 2022. Both the offense and defense took notable steps back in 2026, with

Former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza named infield coach, third base coach

The 46-year-old Mendoza had the helm with the Phillies archrivals from 2024 through the early part of the 2026 season before the Mets fired him in late June. Mendoza was a defensive instructor and minor league manager in the Yankees system for years before he became the Yankees infield coach in 2017.

A new hitting coach has not yet been hired, and the search is ongoing.

On the managerial search

The Phillies announced a new two year contract for manager Don Mattingly on Wednesday.

In addition to former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the Phillies were also interested in interviewing legendary players Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez for the managerial position. Multiple sources have indicated both Utley and Ibanez politely declined, while Cora is taking the year off baseball. But Dombrowski said they were always happy with Mattingly and that the league mandates some formal, competitive interview process take place before a full time manager is named.

"I was required to do that," Dombrowski said, of reaching out to other candidates. But Mattingly was always a top choice.

Dombrowski repeatedly stressed the strong relationships Mattingly has built within the clubhouse, gaining the respect of veterans and rookies alike, and praised his expansive knowledge of the game.

Donnie Baseball led the Phils to a 79-55 record from the point he took over on April 28 through the end of the year, a 96-win pace that was among the best in baseball.

Trea Turner

Dombrowski was candid when it came to probably the greatest underperformer of the season in Turner. The Phillies signed Turner to an 11-year contract ahead of the 2023 season, making him a franchise player alongside Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. While Turner has reached elite levels in Philly, 2026 marked a step back both with the bat and in the field.

Turner flew from his offseason hometown in Florida back up to Philadelphia this week for a several hour long meeting with Dombrowski.

"He knows he has to be better at shortstop," Dombrowski said. "I told him that it's really mandatory."

For now, the plan is to start Turner off at shortstop in spring training after extensive winter work. If Turner shows signs of returning to his 2025 borderline elite form, they'll keep him there. If he regresses, they will consider a move to the outfield.

"He's a smart guy," Dombrowski added, noting that Turner does prefer to stay in the infield if he can. "He knows he's gotta get better."

Dombrowski also pointed to why the Phillies signed Turner over the other elite shortstops in his same free agency class: they believed his fast twitch muscles and speed would allow him to age well through the length of a very long contract. They have confidence he has "the ability to be a good player for a longer time than the others."

Indeed, thus far, despite a poor showing in 2026, Turner has largely outperformed the other All Star shortstops from that winter 2022 class: Xander Boegarts, Dansby Swanson, and Carlos Correa, all of whom secured lengthy megacontracts.

On Alec Bohm's future

While Dombrowski said it's too early to make an "unequivocal statement" about what players they would and would not resign, his tone suggested that Alec Bohm's time with the Phillies may be over.

"I wouldn't say we're moving on from anybody yet, it's too early," he said, before noting implying that bringing Bohm back to play third would leave the Phillies with very limited options to change their defensive approach in 2027.

Tim Mayza resigned

"Every day Mayza," the Phillies erstwhile bulk relief pitcher who was a bright spot in an inconsistent bullpen, has been resigned to a one year contract.

Mayza delivered a 3.48 ERA over 67.1 innings, serving as an opener and bulk option on numerous occasions. While there is still some work to be done to shore up the pen outside of Jhoan Duran, Alex McFarlane, and Jonathan Bowlan, bringing back Mayza is a positive first step.

Other positional items

Bryce Harper, as expected, will be the full time first baseman in 2027. Kyle Schwarber is expected to get more reps there next year, with Harper at DH, to help alleviate strain on Harper and manage his load.

While plans were not stated explicitly, infield prospect Aidan Miller seems likely to compete for the third base job in the Phillies starting lineup in spring training. Two other top prospects, pitcher Gage Wood and infielder Bryan Rincon, also received glowing reviews from Dombrowski and appear ready for MLB action at some point next year.

The Phillies expect to add at least one outfielder via trade or free agency, and possibly more. Dombrowski did not name names, but two high powered right handed bats, Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozorena, are on the market.