The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday after a 9-19 start. Bench coach Don Mattingly takes over on an interim basis. Mattingly says he doesn’t have any interest in managing after this season.
The Phillies had nothing but good things to say about Thomson on the way out.
Mattingly only got the job after recently-fired Red Sox manager Alex Cora turned down the job. (Free The Athletic reg. req.) Matt Gelb, Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark have the details.
Bob Nightengale spoke to Cora about the reasoning behind his decision, which basically comes down to Cora wants to take the rest of the summer off and spend time with his family.
Nightengale also reports that Rob Thomson has no hard feelings about the firing.
Matt Gelb has the story of the final days of Thomson’s tenure with the Phillies. (Free The Athletic reg. req.)
Michael Baumann writes that Thomson was the scapegoat for a poor start, but the real issues start with the Phillies roster construction. Of course, Baumann also notes that Thomson only got the job in the first place because Joe Girardi was the scapegoat for a bad start to the 2022 season.
Speaking of that, Jayson Stark ask whether this firing is more like the Phillies managerial change in 2012 or 2022. (The Athletic sub. req.) Basically, is this a blip in a period of continued success or the start of a rebuild?
Ken Rosenthal thinks it’s more like 2012 and that the Phillies have serious structural issues. (The Athletic sub. req.) He also warns Alex Cora that he might not want to take the job if it is offered to him again at the end of the season.
Why was Thomson fired now and what’s wrong with the Phillies? A roundtable discussion.
Back to Cora. Julian McWilliams explains why the Red Sox fired their manager.
Red Sox team president Craig Breslow is trying to mend fences with several players upset over Cora’s firing.
Kiri Oler offers another take on the “Saturday Night Massacre” of the Red Sox coaching staff. Oler writes that if the Red Sox don’t improve, Breslow may be the next one to be seen to the door.
Mike Axisa answers whether the Phillies or Red Sox have a better chance of turning their season around.
Is Mets manager Carlos Mendoza the next to get canned?
Ian O’Connor notes that when the free-spending Steve Cohen bought the Mets, their fans had high hopes for a new glory era. So far, Cohen’s results have been disappointing and there doesn’t seem to be any plan to get better. (The Athletic sub. req.)
Anthony Castrovince and Sarah Langs show how the expanded playoffs means a bad April doesn’t necessarily kill all hope for a playoff bid anymore.
Dan Szymborski examines whether the struggling Astros can turn their season around.
Mark Feinsand has the teams that have been surprisingly good or disappointingly bad so far according to a poll of anonymous front office executives.
Mike Axisa has some early takes on how this past winter’s free agents are doing with their new teams.