Ex-Phillies star Raul Ibanez at least thought about leaving Dodgers to replace Don Mattingly

October 16, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

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The Philadelphia Phillies tried to reach out to former players Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez to be the team’s next manager. Both declined, though, and the Phillies settled on bringing back Don Mattingly on a permanent basis.

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But while Utley explained that he didn’t seem all that interested in going into management at this time in his life, Ibanez did at least consider the Phillies’ interest.

Per The Athletic, Ibanez took a couple of days to think about the opportunity of managing the Phillies before ultimately telling them that he would stay on in his role on the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has been serving as LA’s vice president of baseball development and special projects for the last three seasons.

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Ibanez, who spent three successful seasons with the Phillies in 2009-11, has been quite active since retiring from MLB in 2014. Aside from his time in the Dodgers’ front office, he has also worked in broadcast media as well as the commissioner’s office.

And while he has yet to go into management, it has not been because of a lack of offers. Per The Athletic, he has declined multiple opportunities to get into the dugout as a skipper.

It remains to be seen whether his intrigue about the Phillies job is his connection to the team or whether it’s him growing more open to the possibility of becoming a manager. Regardless, the Phillies will head into the upcoming season with Mattingly back in the dugout, as they look to end their struggles to break through in the postseason.

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