Phillies were turned down by two ex-players in their manager search

The Philadelphia Phillies’ search for a new manager was messy enough that two high-profile former players both turned down the opportunity to speak to the team about the job.

The Phillies reached out to Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez, both prominent former players with the team, to gauge their interest in managing, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic. Both players ultimately declined the opportunity to interview, though Ibanez at least took a few days to consider the opportunity.

Utley, a Phillies legend, is a special assistant with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He did not comment directly on the Phillies job, but he did say that it is “not realistic” for him to consider managing at this point in his life.

The Phillies originally planned to move on from interim manager Don Mattingly, who took over the role after the early-season firing of Rob Thomson. They then pursued former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, but he decided not to pursue the job. That led to inquiries like the one they made to Utley and Ibanez, and when those were unsuccessful, they ultimately went back to square one and brought back Mattingly.

The Phillies went 88-74 last season, with Mattingly specifically going 79-55. However, the team was eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card series, raising questions about where the organization will go next after another postseason failure.