For the second time in less than six months, the ideal managerial candidate for the Philadelphia Phillies, Alex Cora, rejected the club’s offer to become the team’s new manager.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that a conversation took place between the former Boston Red Sox skipper and Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Cora, who won a World Series with Dombrowski and the Red Sox in 2018, turned down the offer.
Dombrowski has not shied away from his desire to bring Cora, who he has a great relationship with, to the City of Brotherly Love.
When the team fired Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start to the season, the executive confirmed he reached out to Cora before the team asked Don Mattingly to serve as the interim manager for the rest of the season.
“I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball,” Dombrowski said in April. “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland. … If Alex Cora decides he’s managing, he has a chance to be in that same category. That’s how good he is.”
In addition to the World Series title in 2018, Cora posted a 620-541 record, good for a .534 winning percentage. The Red Sox never returned to that 2018 level, which was his first year at the helm, following it up with two more winning seasons, including a trip to the 2021 ALCS. After that, the Red Sox plummeted, finishing in the basement of the AL East in 2022 and 2023 with identical 78-84 records.
In 2024, the Red Sox finished at .500 before returning to the playoffs in 2025 with an 89-73 record before being bounced by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round.
He was fired this season after Boston started 10-17 out of the gate and is still owed $7.25 million for next season.
So with Dombrowski’s top choice seemingly uninterested, the front office is once again forced to pivot to a backup solution.
Could Mattingly be the second choice, again?
It would be the smoothest transition and one that would make sense given the fact that an owner-imposed lockout is looming starting on Dec. 1, and team officials will be barred from having contact with players after that date.
The Phillies achieved an incredible turnaround once Mattingly assumed the role, going 79-55 the rest of the way, reaching the postseason for a fifth straight year, which ties a franchise record.
Of course, how the season ended was less than ideal, capped off by a Wild Card exit at the hands of the rival Atlanta Braves.
Mattingly did not want to delve into his thoughts on his future after the season-ending loss, saying it wasn’t the time for that conversation.
The baseball veteran is under contract for one more season, albeit as a bench coach. Players spoke highly of the interim manager after their postseason exit. He may have the inside track to a return if both the front office and Mattingly want to continue the marriage.
If not, the team will need to cast a wider net to land the club's next manager with their big fish in Cora not biting.
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