The Philadelphia Phillies removed the interim tag from Don Mattingly’s job title on Wednesday, naming him the team’s full-time manager and signing him to a two-year contract.
However, the team reportedly checked in with two other candidates before reaching an agreement with Mattingly. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski requested permission from the Los Angeles Dodgers to speak with former Phillies stars Chase Utley and Raúl Ibañez to gauge their interest in the managerial position, according to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark.
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Both Utley and Ibanez declined to speak with Dombrowski about the job. Utley, 47, is currently a special assistant to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, while Ibañez, 54, is the team’s vice president of baseball development and special projects.
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October 22, 2008 pic.twitter.com/22afBA9p6f— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) September 28, 2026
Utley told the Phillies that he’s not currently interested in being a manager, The Athletic reported.
“Considering where I’m currently at with my family, that commitment is not really realistic at the moment,” Utley said to before Wednesday’s NLCS Game 3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
“I’m completely happy with how things are going currently,” he added. “So that is something that I’m really not wanting to add to. I imagine everyone would totally understand that.”
Utley played nearly 13 of his 16 MLB seasons with the Phillies, playing on a World Series championship team in 2008, five division winners and six NL All-Star teams. He is among the team’s top 10 all-time leaders in hits, home runs, RBI and extra-base hits.
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Ibañez reportedly took a couple of days to think about the possibility before deciding to explain to Dombrowski why he preferred to stay with the Dodgers. The 19-year veteran has previously interviewed for the Tampa Bay Rays’ managerial opening before Kevin Cash was hired. He has also worked in the MLB front office and as a broadcaster with ESPN.
In three seasons with the Phillies from 2009-11, Ibañez compiled a .264/.329/.469 slash line with 70 home runs and 260 RBI in 433 games. He played on three NL East winners, in addition to a World Series and NLCS with Philadelphia.
During an end-of-season press conference on Thursday, Dombrowkski announced that former New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza will join Mattingly’s staff. Mendoza will be the Phillies’ third-base and infield coach.