2 Phillies Legends Reportedly Turned Down Manager’s Job

The Philadelphia Phillies didn’t waste much time when it came to figuring out their biggest offseason priority, which was finding a full-time manager.

They ended up retaining Don Mattingly, who was under contract through 2027 as the team’s bench coach. He agreed to a new two-year deal with the franchise, removing the interim tag that he held after taking over from Rob Thomson, who was fired following a brutal 9-19 start.

Mattingly did well helping turn things around for the Phillies. The team went 79-55 under his watch, making the playoffs as the No. 3 Wild Card team in the National League, avoiding a historic collapse at the end of the season.

However, there were other candidates that President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski had his eyes on. According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Philadelphia reached out to two of their former players: outfielder Raul Ibanez and second baseman Chase Utley, to see what level of interest they had in the job.

“Before the Philadelphia Phillies finalized their decision to rehire Don Mattingly as their manager, they reached out to Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez, two high-profile names from their recent past, to gauge their interest in the job, according to two team sources with firsthand knowledge of those discussions. Both politely declined, those sources said,” Stark wrote.

Stark added that both players currently work for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but interest in them was serious enough that Dombrowski formally requested permission from the franchise to speak to Ibanez and Utley.

Utley, a six-time All-Star during his playing days, finished his career with the Dodgers for 3.5 seasons after playing 12.5 with the Phillies. He is currently a special assistant to Andrew Friedman, who is the president of baseball operations in Los Angeles.

“Regardless if that (Phillies report) is true or not … considering where I’m currently at with my family, that commitment (to a job like managing) is not really realistic at the moment,” said Utley, when asked if he had been contacted by Philadelphia. “I’m completely happy with how things are going currently. So that is something that I’m really not wanting to add to. I imagine everyone would totally understand that.”

From @jaysonst: The Phillies requested to interview to Chase Utley and Raul Ibañez for manager job. They said thanks but no thanks. More here: https://t.co/buZuk1WFcN

Ibanez just finished his third year with the Dodgers as their vice president of baseball development and special projects. He has turned down multiple managerial offers in recent years, but did take a few days to consider the offer from the Phillies before ultimately deciding to decline.

Three seasons of his 19-year career were spent in Philadelphia, where he is a fan favorite. He was an All-Star in 2009, his first season with the club, and helped the team finish in first place in the NL East all three campaigns.

Since retiring from playing, Ibanez has spent two different stints in the Los Angeles front office, has been a broadcaster on ESPN and has worked for the commissioner’s office.