The Philadelphia Phillies ended the 2026 MLB season in disappointment. They lost in the NL Wild Card round to the Atlanta Braves, dropping out of the playoffs earlier than they've ever done since they first made it back in 2022.

Now, the offseason becomes a key time to reshuffle the deck and try to build a better contender next year. However, when it comes to contending, it should be obvious to the Phillies that they cannot run it back. It didn't work in 2024, 2025, and now 2026.

However, according to Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic, the Phillies are set to hire Don Mattingly to a full-time managerial role this offseason. This decision, once again, proves the Phillies have not learned their lesson from the last few years.

Phillies have not learned their lesson from past few years with Don Mattingly hire

"The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to name Don Mattingly as their full-time manager, with the decision formalized sometime this week, according to league and team sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss moves that haven't been announced," Gelb and Varnes report.

Mattingly took over early in the 2026 MLB season after Rob Thomson was fired, and the Phillies rebounded to make the playoffs. They were bounced quickly, and it wasn't all Mattingly's fault for their playoff exit.

But he did play a part in it, as the pitching and lineup decisions were questionable this past season. While Mattingly wasn't a positive difference-maker for the Phillies, their decision to bring him back isn't the real reason why this move is bad for the Phillies.

Instead, it's what Mattingly's return to the Phillies represents. By bringing Mattingly back, the Phillies are, once again, running it back.

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Sure, there will be some changes made to the pitching staff in the bullpen, and there will surely be some new faces in the lineup, but at the end of the day, the core of this Phillies team is set to stay the same.

For years now, Phillies fans have been concerned about the Phillies running it back. Unfortunately, with this Mattingly news, it appears that's set to continue.

This offseason was the perfect time to make some sweeping changes. It was their worst season since 2022, and their open manager spot and the free agency of players like Alec Bohm and Jose Alvarado opened the door to big changes.

But at least on the manager side, the Phillies are running it back. The coaching staff will likely stay the same, and it might be difficult for fans to fully buy in after the near-historic collapse from Mattingly's squad to end the season.

Mattingly himself isn't a horrible manager or anything; it's just that the Phillies' decision to bring him back represents the team's persistent effort to run it back with this core in hopes of winning the World Series.

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