The Blue Jays may be bracing for offseason movement beyond the roster, and DeMarlo Hale’s name is one to watch.
Hale has been a steady presence in Toronto’s dugout for years, working two separate stints with the club. He served as bench coach from 2013 to 2018, then returned as associate manager under John Schneider for the past three seasons. At 65, he’s become one of the Jays’ most trusted voices - the kind of coach who sits in the middle of the conversation between players and staff.
That status could make him a candidate elsewhere. The Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners are both searching for new managers, and Hale has ties that could matter if either club decides to take a swing.
Seattle moved on from Dan Wilson after a 76-86 season, a sharp drop after the team reached Game 7 of the ALCS the year before. Philadelphia’s opening came much earlier, with Rob Thomson dismissed a few weeks into the regular season after a 9-19 start. Don Mattingly took over as interim manager and has pushed the Phillies into the postseason over the past four months.
Mattingly’s future in Philadelphia is still unsettled. An MLB insider reported that he would be "gracefully dismissed," though there are also reports he could remain with the team in the bench coach role he originally held. If that path opens, Philadelphia could look around for another option.
That’s where Hale enters the picture. He and Mattingly have worked together before, including two seasons in Toronto that included the World Series team. There’s also a family link in the mix, since Mattingly’s son, Preston, is Philadelphia’s general manager.
For now, Hale is only being floated as a name among several possible candidates on a Phillies podcast, but the connection is real enough to keep him in the conversation.
Hale’s résumé is long. He has 25 years of MLB coaching experience and has served as bench coach for six different franchises. He has never landed a full-time managerial job, though he did step in briefly in Cleveland during the 2023 season while then-Guardians manager Terry Francona was out for several weeks for medical reasons.
His coaching career began with the Texas Rangers in 2002, when he worked as a first base coach and outfield instructor. Before that, he spent 10 seasons managing in the minor leagues.
If Hale does wind up leaving Toronto, it would mark the second time in the last two seasons that a Blue Jays coach headed for Philadelphia. Mattingly left Toronto for the Phillies after the Blue Jays' 2025 World Series run.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Still Have One Major Rotation Question Heading Into 2027
Bowden Francis was one of the more encouraging rotation stories for Toronto down the stretch in 2024, when he gave the Blue Jays a legitimate lift after moving into the starting mix. He looked like a pitcher who had carved out a meaningful role, and his late-season run gave the club something to build on heading into the next phase of the staff.
Since then, though, the picture has changed dramatically. Francis battled right shoulder discomfort in 2025, then missed the entire 2026 season after surgery, leaving Toronto with one more unresolved rotation question as it looks ahead to 2027. For a team trying to map out its pitching depth, his status remains an important one, even if there is still no clear timetable for when he might re-enter the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Must Avoid One Costly Free Agency Trap This Winter
The Blue Jays are heading into another winter where every dollar matters, and the free-agent market is already offering plenty of temptation. Toronto can find players who fit specific needs, whether that means lineup contact, bullpen help or a left-handed bat, but the challenge is sorting out which names make sense at the right price and which ones only look appealing on the surface.
Robbie Ray is one of the bigger caution flags in that conversation, with his projected cost sitting in a range that would demand real confidence in a rebound. Luis Arraez brings a very different profile, but Torontos search for impact offense makes his fit more complicated than it might first appear, especially if the Jays are trying to add more damage at the plate rather than another pure contact bat. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Gausman Is Closing Another Major Blue Jays Chapter
Kevin Gausmans next chapter is already taking shape, and it now includes a clean break from Toronto off the field as well as on it. The former Blue Jays right-hander has put his Toronto residence up for sale, another sign that the final season of his contract ended with his life in the city moving in a different direction.
Gausman was dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the 2026 trade deadline, closing out his run with the Blue Jays after he had still spoken warmly about his time in Toronto. For a pitcher who became a familiar part of the organizations recent story, the house listing adds a small but fitting footnote to a larger transition, even if the details of what comes next are still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]