Veteran Toronto Blue Jays coach could soon be headed elsewhere

The Toronto Blue Jays could see some changes on the field this offseason, but one unexpected departure could come from the coaching staff.

DeMarlo Hale has been with the Blue Jays in two separate stints as a coach, serving as bench coach from 2013 to 2018 before returning as an associate manager under John Schneider for the past three seasons.

The 65-year-old has spent the last three seasons as a trusted voice in Toronto's dugout, as a link between the players and coaching staff. But with several MLB teams looking for a new manager, Hale could be in line for an opportunity he can't refuse.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners are the two teams that currently have managerial vacancies.

Seattle parted ways with manager Dan Wilson following a 76-86 season, after the team's run to Game 7 of the ALCS the year prior.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, fired Rob Thomson just a few weeks into the regular season after a 9-19 start. The Phillies then promoted bench coach Don Mattingly to interim manager, who's quickly turned the team around to reach the postseason over the last four months.

Mattingly's future remains a talking point in Philadelphia after an MLB insider reported that he would be "gracefully dismissed," though there are reports that he may stay with the team in the bench coach role he was hired for, which leaves the door open for the Phillies to pursue other options.

That's where Hale's connection to Philadelphia becomes interesting.

DeMarlo Hale has been with the Blue Jays as an associate manager to John Schneider since the 2024 season. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)

Hale and Mattingly have chemistry, with the duo most recently working together in Toronto for two seasons (including the World Series team), and Mattingly's son, Preston, happens to be Philadelphia's general manager.

It's a connection that could potentially help Hale emerge as a candidate for the role, though there's been no indication, besides his name being mentioned as one of many potential candidates on a Phillies podcast.

Hale has 25 years of MLB coaching experience and served as bench coach for six different franchises. While he has yet to land a full-time managerial job, he briefly took over in Cleveland during the 2023 season when then-Guardians manager Terry Francona missed several weeks for medical reasons.

He began his MLB coaching career as a first base coach and outfield instructor with the Texas Rangers in 2002, though before that, he spent 10 seasons managing several teams in the minor league system.

If Hale ends up leaving Toronto, he would be the second Blue Jays coach to leave the team for Philadelphia in the last two seasons. Mattingly left Toronto and joined the Phillies as a bench coach following the Blue Jays' 2025 World Series run.