Don Mattingly hired to be Blue Jays bench coach

Nov 30, 2022 - 2:40 PM

True to his nature, Don Mattingly was as courteous as possible about the end of his Marlins managerial tenure. He parroted the organization’s messaging about how they needed “a new voice” at the position. He did not sugarcoat how “disappointing” it was that so little progress had been made at the major league level since the beginning of Miami’s rebuild. However, the 61-year-old never conceded that he was ready to retire.

As first reported by the New York Post on Tuesday and announced by the Blue Jays on Wednesday morning, Mattingly will serve as Toronto’s bench coach in 2023.

Mattingly had previous bench coach experience with the 2007 Yankees, serving as second-in-command to Hall of Famer Joe Torre. The dynamic is entirely different in this situation. Toronto’s skipper is John Schneider—nearly two decades Mattingly’s junior—who took over the job on an interim basis in July 2022 and did well enough to be hired full time. Schneider’s contract runs through 2025 with an option for 2026.

At least for the moment, the Blue Jays roster includes a handful of players who Mattingly managed with the Marlins: Anthony Bass, Adam Cimber, Yimi García, Zach Pop and Trevor Richards.

Meanwhile, Mattingly’s Marlins successor, Skip Schumaker, is mostly done assembling his own 2023 staff, featuring Luis Urueta (bench coach), Mel Stottlemyre Jr. (pitching coach), Brant Brown (hitting coach), Jon Jay (first base coach), Jody Reed (third base coach), Wellington Cepeda (bullpen coach) and Rod Barajas (quality control coach). We’re still awaiting a full announcement from the club.

The Jays visit LoanDepot Park for a three-game series from June 19-21.