The Phillies announced some significant changes to their front office under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski Friday. They held a Zoom call to discuss the changes with the media less than an hour after making the announcement.
Vice President and General Manager, Sam Fuld, is pursuing his MBA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He is slated to graduate in May of 2026, at which point he will take the title of President of Business Operations. I asked Fuld during the Zoom what prompted this change:
“When I had this conversation with both Dave (Dombrowski) and John (Middleton) in the spring, I think we recognized that, given my professional career, both as a player and in baseball operations with the Phillies, that I was lacking in any formal business experience and business education. So it felt like a pretty logical next step to be able to achieve this goal of having business leadership with the Phillies organization.”
Sam added that the opportunity professionally was discussed first, and then he enrolled in school as they realized the educational piece was a “pretty important part of the puzzle” for him to make this change. He noted the business side had interested him as he overlapped with others in the organization more, and he, Dombrowski, and Middleton had many conversations dating back to the spring of this year about the short-term through long-term implications of making this move before deciding to move forward.
Phillies Have A GM
Additionally, assistant general manager, Preston Mattingly, has been promoted to take the role of vice president and general manager. The son of Don Mattingly, Preston was hired by the Phillies as director of player development in 2021 after he spent some time in the San Diego Padres scouting department. It has been a rapid rise through the Phillies ranks for the 37-year-old, as he has now risen all the way to essentially the No. 2, behind Dombrowski, in just 3 years.
“Yeah, obviously I’m very excited about the role and honestly I just love baseball,” Mattingly said. “So I think when Dave approached me with this, I was obviously very excited to get to work with the people we have in the organization.”
Mattingly spoke about the quality of people in the front office, and how they are aligned on a singular goal. “continued. “And Dave mentioned it, just how many quality people we have. “They challenge you every single day. We all share the same vision of helping the Philadelphia Phillies achieve our ultimate goal, which is winning the World Series.”
Dombrowski spoke highly of Mattingly when asked about his choice and the other assistant GMs, who were also considered for the role.
“I just think that Preston is really a special individual from where he will grow in baseball. He’s very knowledgeable about the game in every respect … he’s done a tremendous job for us on the field … he knows other aspects of the position and is diversified in his knowledge in that regard. And I think he has the ability to be a general manager, head of baseball operations for years to come.”
The Future Awaits
Dombrowski and Fuld both confirmed there isn’t a specific timeframe for the full transition to take place, and they, among others, will share responsibilities when it comes to talking to other organizations regarding trade talks. Dombrowski said the full transition will happen “gradually” until Fuld is ready to take over his new role.
“To me, Sam and Preston are two of the best young people in the game,” Dombrowski told reporters. “They’re outstanding in every respect. We have a good relationship between all of us.”
Additional moves included the promotion of Luke Murton from director of hitting to the director of player development. He joined the Phillies organization in December of 2022, and worked with Mattingly in the Padres organization. Edwar Gonzalez will take over for Murton, transitioning from an assistant role underneath him.
Fuld was once thought to be next-in-line whenever Dombrowski decided it was time to hang up the suit jacket. Now – after hearing him speak about these moves and his admiration for Mattingly, Preston seems to be the heir apparent to the proverbial throne.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
