For now, at least, Velez He will have two general managers working under Dave Dombrowski, the club’s president of baseball operations. This unusual arrangement, announced late Friday when the Phillies promoted Preston Mattingly while Sam Fuld moves to a job leading the business side of the franchise, is puzzling.
It’s a transition that will happen over 16 months — and could still result in Fuld, who is viewed as Dombrowski’s eventual successor when he steps down from Phillies management, at the helm of the entire organization years from now.
But for now, Dombrowski has two general managers.
“I don’t have a specific time frame for all of these things to happen,” Dombrowski said Friday. “It’s going to happen gradually. I mean, for example, as we go to the winter meetings, Sam and Preston will be involved in club speaking and trade talks. And so will other people in the organization. As we head toward spring training, we’ll see how much time Sam can actually spend on Spring training with some of his other responsibilities but because of the working relationship between the three of us and the communication, I think it will come naturally for us.
Fuld, 42, began earning a degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania earlier this year. He will become the Phillies’ president of business operations after he graduates in May 2026. For Fuld, who has been a big-league player and coach — and even interviewed to be a manager — this is a career shift that could put him in a better position to take control of the Phillies later.
Before the Phillies hired Dombrowski, the club had never had separate presidents of baseball and business operations. The organization has always had a team president who oversees all baseball and business decisions. This has been David Montgomery for decades. While Malik John Middleton He has taken a more active role in day-to-day operations as CEO, and the Phillies may return to a more traditional arrangement when Dombrowski steps aside.
Dombrowski is under contract through 2027.
Fuld intends to continue to be involved in baseball affairs, but on a lesser scale. Moving from baseball to the business side usually means a demotion. In this case it could be the opposite.
The Phillies see this as a way to groom two rookie executives.
“Sam and Preston are two of the best young players in the game,” Dombrowski said. “They’re outstanding in every way. We (everyone) have a good relationship. As we looked to the future, we said, ‘Okay, how is this all going to end?'” Sam, who is versatile in so many different ways, has a lot of scope that goes beyond baseball operations. And Preston, in “His situation is, he’s ready for this growth. It’s a great situation for us and for them.”
Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld talk during spring training. (Nathan Ray Sibick/Imagine Images)
While Fuld was general manager, all major decisions passed through Dombrowski. Fuld assisted in transactions and negotiations. But many of his responsibilities focused on everything but the 26-man roster.
Mattingly, 37, is considered a rising star in the sport and aspired to become a general manager. The Phillies hired him to oversee the minor leagues before the 2022 season, then promoted him to assistant general manager before the 2024 season to prevent Mattingly from being poached by other clubs.
He’s a former first-round pick who didn’t have the playing career that his father Don had. But he found success in the front office.
“I am very excited about this role,” Mattingly said. “Honestly, I love the game of baseball. It means a lot to me. It’s been in my life since I was born. Any aspect of the game I’m interested in — whether it’s minor league free agency, player development, R&D — everything has always been of interest to me.” When Dave asked me about this, I was very excited to work with the people we have in the organization. They challenge you every day. We all share the same vision of helping the Philadelphia Phillies achieve our ultimate goal, which is to win a World Series.
Luke Morton, whom Mattingly hired a few years ago to run the minor league hitting program, will become director of player development. Edwar Gonzalez has been promoted to director of hitting development. Mattingly is expected to continue to have an active influence in the farm system.
Fuld will eventually replace Dave Buck, the longtime Phillies executive who is retiring at the end of December. The Phillies have not said who will run the business side in the meantime until Fuld finishes his degree. Middleton will assume some of these responsibilities.
No one said it out loud, but when Fuld went from lower-level department head to general manager under Dombrowski, baseball insiders saw it as a way to groom him to take over down the line.
There is a bigger plan at play.
“Baseball has been my heart and soul my whole life,” Fuld said. “I’ve loved the game since I hit two Wiffle balls off the tee when I was 3. I fell in love with the game at that point and have never lost any love for it.
“We’ve talked about the medium- and long-term opportunities that might come with this in the future. I’ll never lose that love for the game. I’m very excited about what lies ahead on the business side. But this isn’t a sign that I’ve suddenly lost interest in helping the Phillies win a World Series.”
(Top photos: Preston Mattingly: Myles Kennedy/The Phillies; Sam Fuld: Kim Clement/Imagine Images)