For the second time this year, Alex Cora will not be the Phillies’ next manager.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently spoke with Cora about becoming the Phillies’ manager in 2027, but Cora informed him that he plans to sit out next season, according to a report from USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale.
Cora is still owed approximately $7.25 million by the Red Sox in 2027, the final year of the three-year, $21.75 million extension he signed with Boston in July 2024.
The Phillies’ interest in Cora is hardly new.
Dombrowski spoke with his former manager in April, shortly after Boston fired Cora following a 10-17 start. At the time, the Phillies were in the middle of their own disastrous opening month and Dombrowski was prepared to make a managerial change if Cora wanted the job. Cora declined, choosing instead to step away from managing and spend the remainder of the season with his family. (More on the Phillies’ April pursuit of Cora)
Rob Thomson was fired shortly afterward with the Phillies sitting at 9-19, and bench coach Don Mattingly took over on an interim basis.
Cora’s family situation has remained an important part of his time away from the dugout. He is scheduled to marry his longtime partner in November, while their twin sons turned 9 this summer. Cora has also been establishing a home base in Puerto Rico.
The connection between Cora and Dombrowski made him an obvious candidate whenever the Phillies’ managerial job initially became available. Dombrowski hired Cora to manage the Red Sox before the 2018 season, and Boston went 108-54 before winning the World Series that October.
Instead, the Phillies must continue evaluating their options.
Mattingly remains under contract with the organization for 2027 as bench coach. The 65-year-old went 79-55 after replacing Thomson, helping the Phillies recover from their 9-19 start and reach the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.
The ending was considerably less encouraging. Philadelphia struggled badly down the stretch, did not secure its Wild Card berth until the final day of the regular season and was eliminated by Atlanta in three games.
Still, Mattingly received significant support from his clubhouse after the season. J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner were among the players who spoke favorably about his work after the Phillies were eliminated, while Mattingly declined to campaign publicly for the full-time job.
Dombrowski now has another major offseason decision to make for a team that has not won a postseason series since 2023.
Cora, the candidate he pursued twice in less than six months, appears to be off the board.
