Alex Cora’s next stop could come sooner than the 2027 Major League Baseball season, and the list of teams circling him keeps getting attention.
The former Boston Red Sox manager was let go in April after the club opened 10-17, a move that stunned the baseball world. Boston did not get the quick spark it hoped for, either.
The Red Sox are 39-48 now, and under interim manager Chad Tracy they are 29-31 overall. There has been some progress over the last two weeks, but the hole is still there.
Even after the firing, Cora’s reputation around the league never really took a hit. He is still widely viewed as one of the best managers available, which is why his name surfaced immediately once Boston moved on.
The Philadelphia Phillies were the first obvious landing spot. They were struggling too, fired manager Rob Thomson shortly after Cora was dismissed, and offered Cora the job.
He turned it down, for now.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the New York Mets would "love" to hire Cora, but that he is still "expected" to join Philadelphia after the season.
"While the New York Mets would love to hire Alex Cora as their next manager, Cora still is expected to join the Phillies after rejecting their offer to replace Rob Thomson, who the club fired on April 28," Nightengale wrote. "The Phillies instead turned to Don Mattingly. Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran is the favorite for the Mets’ vacancy when interim manager Andy Green returns to the front office this winter."
For Boston, the bigger concern is its own season, not where Cora ends up. Still, either of those destinations would at least keep him out of the American League East. If he lands with the Mets or Phillies, the Red Sox would not have to deal with him very often.
It was a major decision when Boston cut ties with Cora, and it is the kind of move that will keep drawing opinions. The easiest way for the noise to fade would be for the Red Sox to start winning and leave the firing behind.
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