The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to the future of their organization. That means deciding on a manager of the future, which likely won’t be current interim manager Don Mattingly but Alex Cora instead.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared a report that it might take winning a World Series. Otherwise, the Phillies won’t ask Mattingly back. Instead, it’s Cora’s job to lose.
“Alex Cora, who turned down the job when Thomson was fired, is expected to be the Phillies’ next manager barring a World Series berth or title,” Nightengale wrote.
It’s no secret that Dave Dombrowski has wanted to hire Alex Cora as the Phillies’ next manager. He may just get his wish now, too. Nightengale believes that barring any major changes, it should be Cora’s job.
Cora managed the Boston Red Sox from 2018 to 2026, with a suspension for the 2020 season due to his role in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. He had been a coach there in 2017. Cora would win a World Series in Boston and go 620-541 overall, before being fired in April amid a slow start.
Alex Cora Turned Down the Philadelphia Phillies Job Once
GettyAlex Cora with the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora amid a disconnect between the coaching staff and the front office, as well as a slow start on the field. One of the most well-respected managers in baseball, he quickly became the biggest name on the market for the 2027 season, and the Philadelphia Phillies seemed to want to get a head start on that.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, seemingly to hire Cora, fired previous manager Rob Thomson. Dombrowski even acknowledged at the time that he had offered the job to Cora, who turned it down, before elevating Mattingly to interim manager.
“We talked about potentially taking the job,” Dombrowski said in April. “I had told him I had really come to the conclusion at that point that if he took it, I was going to make a change. I thought that he might take it, but as time went on over the next day into Monday morning, it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family.”
For Cora, the timing wasn’t right. He wanted to step away and spend time with his own family rather than join a new team and try to hit the ground running with the Phillies.
Alex Cora Has a World Series Connection to Dave Dombrowski
GettyDave Dombrowski
Alex Cora and Dave Dombrowski have a long-standing connection going back to the Boston Red Sox. After all, it had been Dombrowski who initially hired Cora when he was the CBO of the Red Sox.
The two worked well together, and in 2018, Cora’s first year with the team, they had the winningest season in franchise history. It was, seemingly, a great match, but after a downturn in 2019 and a change in philosophy from ownership, Dombrowski was fired.
Since then, Dombrowski joined the Phillies and has had them on the edge of a World Series without getting over the hump. Meanwhile, Cora has clearly been frustrated with the Red Sox approach, which has seen a major youth movement. That won’t be an issue.
On top of that, Cora won’t have to worry about Dombrowski’s job security. The Phillies President just signed a contract extension. So, it’s hard not to see this deal coming once the offseason starts.
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