9 notable MLB coaching changes: From Don Mattingly to Ron Washington, these dugout moves stand out

The ever-frenetic MLB coaching carousel has finally calmed down.

Most big-league clubs have, by now, announced their 2026 coaching staff. And the frenzy of November, with its exhausting game of musical chairs, completely reshaped the big-league coaching landscape.

Managerial hires tend to grab the headlines, and that was particularly true this offseason, as eight teams brought in new skippers. But let’s dig a little deeper and take a look at nine of the more interesting coaching changes that have happened so far this winter.

Don Mattingly, bench coach, Philadelphia Phillies

Donny Baseball’s hiring has yet to be announced, but multiple reports have linked the six-time All-Star to the Phillies’ bench coach job. After stints helming the Dodgers and Marlins, Mattingly spent the past three seasons as Toronto’s bench coach. That tenure included the former Yankee’s first trip to the Fall Classic in his long and storied career, an accomplishment that earned Mattingly some well-deserved headlines.

In 2026, he will be one of two new names on the Phillies’ staff (assistant hitting coach Edwar Gonzalez, who replaced new Orioles hitting coach Dustin Lind, is the other). Mike Calitri spent the past few years as Rob Thomson’s right-hand man but was moved to field coordinator earlier this winter. That opened the spot for Mattingly, who will now be working alongside his son, Preston, who is Philadelphia’s GM beneath president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Mattingly’s presence should be helpful around a club with so many veterans and stars. Big dogs listen to big dogs, and Mattingly is as respected a voice as there is in the entire sport.

Kai Correa, bench coach, New York Mets

After two seasons with the Guardians, the former Division III infielder is taking on a new challenge under Carlos Mendoza in Queens. In Cleveland, Correa was the proud owner of MLB’s longest coaching title: major league field coordinator/director of defense, strategy and baserunning. Considered one of the top infield minds in the game, both in terms of positioning and fundamentals, Correa fits perfectly with New York’s “we need to get better at run prevention” offseason.

And he isn’t the only new character in blue and orange, as the Mets’ disastrous 2025 precipitated quite the shakeup. Only two coaches besides Mendoza — assistant hitting coach Rafael Fernandez and strategy coach Danny Barnes — survived the house cleaning from president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Andy McKay, MLB field coordinator, Cleveland Guardians

McKay, the man hired to replace Correa, has been around pro ball for more than a decade, yet this will be his first role that necessitates wearing baseball pants in a big-league dugout. Previously an assistant GM and director of player development for the Mariners, McKay played a huge role in Seattle’s recent wave of homegrown talent.

It’s worth noting that McKay has tons of dugout experience; he spent 14 years as the head coach at Sacramento City College and had various top roles in college summer leagues. Nonetheless, it’s a fascinating jump. It’s not often that we see somebody trade in a laptop and quarter-zip for a stopwatch and turf shoes.

Jeremy Hefner, pitching coach, Atlanta Braves

At the end of May 2025, Hefner was something of a minor New York celebrity, the face of an improbably good Mets pitching staff. That Hefner had been on the staff since 2019, serving under four different managers, only added to the aura. Then everything fell apart, with the Mets’ rotation crumbling into a puddle of unusable goop as the team spent October at home. And Hefner ended up on the chopping block.

In truth, Hefner probably got too much credit when things were going well and too much blame when things went south. Such is life in the Big Apple. Thankfully, he wasn’t out of work for long. The Braves swiftly scooped Hefner up to serve under new manager Walt Weiss. Getting Spencer Strider back to his best will be a huge part of Hefner’s gig. Notably, most of Brian Snitker’s guys have left town, with Eddie Peréz the only surviving coach (besides Weiss) from the last Braves playoff team.

Alon Leichman, pitching coach, Colorado Rockies

Leichman has a simple yet extraordinarily daunting task: Solve Coors Field. That burden is not his alone to carry — Colorado’s new regime completely overhauled its pitching group — but as the big-league pitching coach, Leichman will be the public voice of the operation.

Born and raised in Israel by American parents, Leichman took a roundabout path to the Mile High City that included mandatory military service, six years of college baseball and a pitching appearance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He spent the past two seasons in Miami, helping to modernize the Marlins’ pitching development apparatus.

Simon Mathews, pitching coach, Washington Nationals

It’s a new day in D.C., and you must be this young to ride the ride. Washington’s organizational youth movement has been striking, led by just-hired 35-year-old president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. The new general manager, Ani Kilambi, is 31. Blake Butera, the new skipper, is 33.

And Mathews, hired from Cincinnati to handle the pitchers, is 30. He reached Triple-A in the Angels’ system but never appeared in the bigs and has been coaching for less than six years. Still, people with the Reds love Mathews, who is fluent in both modern pitching and Spanish. It’s worth noting that Mathews has a preexisting relationship with Sean Doolittle, the only member of the 2025 Nats staff who was kept on.

Brady Anderson, hitting coach, Los Angeles Angels

This will be the first coaching job for the former Orioles outfielder, who is best known for cranking 50 PED-aided long balls in 1996. After hanging up the spikes in 2002, Anderson joined Baltimore’s front office for a stretch in the 2010s, rising up to vice president of baseball operations under former GM Dan Duquette.

Anderson’s lack of hands-on coaching experience makes him a very odd hire under first-year head man Kurt Suzuki. Perhaps this goes well, but Anderson probably doesn’t have the modern baseball fluency necessary to turn this Angels lineup into a juggernaut.

Derek Shomon, hitting coach, Chicago White Sox

It’s a homecoming for Shomon, who grew up a huge White Sox fan in suburban Chicago. And now Shomon, who spent 2025 as an assistant hitting coach in Miami, has one of the more crucial responsibilities in recent franchise history: Turn Munetaka Murakami into a force.

The Sox shocked the baseball world by landing the Japanese slugger. The sum was much lower than the industry anticipated, as Murakami’s swing-and-miss concerns scared other teams off. Shomon and Chicago’s director of hitting, Ryan Fuller, will be the main characters in charge of proving that Murakami’s signing was worth it.

Ron Washington, infield coach, San Francisco Giants

Tony Vitello’s leap from University of Tennessee head coach to San Francisco Giants manager was the most shocking MLB coaching news of the winter — maybe even the decade. It’s an unprecedented jump, and how Vitello adapts to the big-league game will be fascinating to monitor. He has put together quite an experienced staff with names such as Jayce Tingler (former Padres manager) and Hunter Mense (former Blue Jays assistant hitting coach).

But Washington, one of the game’s most colorful characters, is undeniably the headliner here. “Wash” spent the past two years as the head man in Anaheim but was on medical leave for most of the 2025 season. Apparently he’s healthy enough to return to the grind, which is a huge win on its own. Baseball is a more interesting world when Wash is ripping cigarettes in the tunnel before games.

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