Former Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly excited about upcoming opportunity with new team
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Former Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly has been in contact with a new team about his next job opportunity in Major League Baseball.
Just days after the World Series ended, Don Mattingly caught everybody off guard by announcing he was leaving the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mattingly, the Blue Jays bench coach this past season and hitting coach in 2023 and 2024, said "I knew it was time for me, really before the season started," Mattingly told Jon Heyman. "Toronto that for me, had ran its course."
Prior to this season, Schneider's staff shifted around its roles, bringing in the 36-year-old David Popkins as the team's new hitting coach.
Under Popkins, Toronto largely turned from a disappointing offence to one of the league's best, with Mattingly's influence within the clubhouse now diminishing.
"I kind of knew that [John Schneider] was where he did not need me anymore. He was past that point where I was feeling like I was needed, really, or that useful, right? In-game, yeah, maybe here or there, but in general, he knew what he wanted to do, right? He had it together. And so I knew it was time for me, really before the season started," Mattingly added.
Don Mattingly talks about his son and new upcoming job opportunity
Mattingly talks here about what's next for him. In full cast Donnie Baseball talks about being excited about his next job opportunity.
"My youngest son loves being around the ballpark this year, and that just started. He was old enough to go to the park with me. He could hit in the cage, he could shag on the field, and then the other kids around they just played. So he's around baseball all the time and loved it. So that, and he was like Dad you've got to keep going right? That makes it a little tougher, and so now where do we go from here? I have had some contact, nothing official, let's just put it that way. But I am excited about the opportunity that I think is going to be there."
The speculation is that he will be joining the Philadelphia Phillies, as it was previously reported that his eldest son Preston Mattingly (Phillies GM) reached out to his dad about an opportunity within the organization.
Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly with son, Phillies GM, Preston Mattingly.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 29 | 2476 ANSWERS Former Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly excited about upcoming opportunity with new team What team do you think Don Mattingly will be working for in 2026? | ||
| Philadelphia Phillies | 1798 | 72.6 % |
| New York Yankees | 519 | 21 % |
| Miami Marlins | 80 | 3.2 % |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 79 | 3.2 % |
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