Don Mattingly will not be returning to his position as the Blue Jays’ bench coach in 2025, but he doesn’t intend to retire just yet.
Mattingly, 64, joined the Blue Jays in November 2022 as the bench coach for first-time manager John Schneider, who had been named Toronto’s permanent skipper the previous month after filling the role on an interim basis during the ’22 season.
Mattingly, whose contract was up after the 2025 Fall Classic, could have opted to pursue a reunion with Toronto after the club’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion with a Game 7 loss to the Dodgers. There was also some speculation that he might retire after reaching the World Series for the first time in his career. According to the Post, however, Mattingly is ready for a new challenge within the game.
For Mattingly, the 2025 season marked yet another narrow miss in his quest for a championship. The former Yankees great went nearly his entire playing career without reaching the playoffs before getting a taste of postseason baseball in his final season (1995), when New York lost to Seattle in five games in the ALDS. The following year, the Yankees won their first of four championships in a five-year span.
Mattingly was also part of the Yankees’ coaching staff the year the club blew a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS. His coaching tenure with the Bronx Bombers ended after the 2007 campaign; two years later, the Yankees won it all again. He went on to manage the Dodgers from 2011-15 but was unable to lead them past the NLCS and was replaced by Dave Roberts. He also managed the Marlins from 2016-22 before joining the Blue Jays’ staff.
