The Philadelphia Phillies may need to broaden their managerial search after their top candidate rejected them. Alex Cora again declined an opportunity to manage the Phillies, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. The former Boston Red Sox skipper reportedly told Phillies team president Dave Dombrowski that he intends to take off the 2027 season.
Dombrowski also offered Cora the job after firing Rob Thomson in April. The Phillies made bench coach Don Mattingly their interim manager after Cora, who Boston had just let go, decided to spend time with family instead. Cora led the Red Sox to 108 wins and a World Series championship when first managing the organization overseen by Dombrowski in 2018.
He steered them to the 2021 ALCS and a wild-card berth last year, but Boston made a change amid a 10-17 start to the 2026 campaign. "I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball," Dombrowski said earlier this year. "I've been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland — I've been very fortunate in my career. [Cora] has a chance to be in that same category, that's how good he is." Inheriting a 9-19 team, Mattingly led the Phillies back to the postseason with a 79-55 record.
Yet the Atlanta Braves eliminated them in the Wild Card Series, sparking questions about Philadelphia's future. Nightengale reported last week that the Phillies plan to "gracefully" part ways with Mattingly as manager but offer him a front-office role. The NL East squad reportedly wants new blood and still viewed Cora as an ideal candidate.
With Cora off the table, perhaps the Phillies reconsider retaining the 2020 National League Manager of the Year.
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