Pete Mackanin and Dave Hollins among several scouts reportedly cut from Phillies organization

Multiple sources told Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia that the Phillies will not renew the contracts of seven members of their scouting department. Former manager Pete Mackanin and Dave Hollins are among those names. All seven contracts expire at the end of the month.

This is expected to be one of the first of many cost-cutting measures in the organization amid revenue shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt Gelb of The Athletic first reported in September that the Phillies were offering buyout packages to many full-time employees that were not in baseball operations. Full-time employees of the ballclub were told in an e-mail that layoffs were “inevitable and will happen in the near future.” In June, the Phillies promised to hold-off layoffs until Oct. 31.

Amateur scouts Mike Garcia and Chris Knabenshue, as well as professional scouts Howie Freiling, Jesse Levis and Jeff Harris, are among the cuts, per Salisbury.

Mackanin served as special assistant to the general manager under Matt Klentak while also working as a professional scout for the organization. He also played for the Phillies from 1978 to 1979. Mackanin also served as bench coach from 2009 to 2012.

Hollins played seven seasons with the Phillies and was apart of the beloved 1993 National League pennant-winning team. The former infielder returned to the organization on Oct. 9, 2009 as a professional scout after serving as a minor-league hitting coach in the Mets organization.

The Phillies are not the only organization set to scale-back costs this offseason. Last week, the San Francisco Giants announced it was cutting 10% of its workforce. The Chicago Cubs laid off more than 100 employees this week.

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