The Angels are heading toward another managerial reset, and Alex Cora has emerged as a name to watch.
Los Angeles has been unusually quiet on that front despite a season that has gone badly enough to push the club to 90 losses and within reach of the 100-loss mark. Interim GM John Mozeliak said the purge would wait until after the season, but that didn’t spare pitching coach Mike Maddux and two other coaches from being fired. Kurt Suzuki, meanwhile, remains in place even though he was brought in as an interim manager by Mozeliak’s predecessor, Perry Minasian.
The expectation is that Suzuki will be out once the season ends, though that is not yet certain. Mozeliak’s contract runs through December, and he could remain in place for new owner Stan Kroenke. If that happens, Cora could become a realistic option for the Angels.
Cora has been away from the dugout since the Boston Red Sox fired him in April, and he has been spending time with family in the Dominican Republic. He was linked quickly to the Philadelphia Phillies opening, but he turned down GM Dave Dombrowski and chose to step away from the managerial carousel for now.
He is expected to return soon, and the Angels would make sense as a landing spot. Cora has been viewed as a better fit for a veteran club, which would line up with players like Mike Trout and Zach Neto.
At the same time, he would have to manage a roster that is likely to be younger, unless the Angels decide to spend aggressively once labor issues are sorted out. In that scenario, he could be handed a roster backed by an owner with deep pockets, something that would have looked attractive given the constant palace intrigue he dealt with in Boston.
There is also another possibility for Cora beyond the dugout. He has long been interested in front office work, though he reportedly found the analytics-heavy nature of that job surprising after taking a closer look in the offseason. If he goes that route, he could be Mozeliak’s GM-in-waiting and avoid the same kind of internal chaos that has been a recurring problem with the Red Sox.
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Phillies Just Lost A Depth Piece To A Rival For Nothing
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Instead, Cairo is headed to a division rival after being claimed off waivers by the Mets, who had an open spot on their 40-man roster following the designation of reliever Chris Devenski. For the Phillies, it is a small move on paper but a reminder that even depth pieces can disappear quickly when another club has room to grab them. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies May Have Found An Expensive Answer To Their Outfield Problem
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Suzukis appeal comes with the usual catch for a player in that tier: he is no bargain, and the age-and-contract side of the equation matters as much as the bat and glove. Still, the fit is easy to see for a Phillies club that wants more certainty in the outfield, and the question is less about whether Suzuki checks boxes than whether Philadelphia is willing to pay the kind of price a true answer at the position would require. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Already Second Guessing One Bullpen Deadline Decision
The Phillies went into the deadline looking for relief help and came away with Brooks Raley, a move that made sense at the time for a club trying to tighten up the back end of games. Since then, though, the fit has looked shakier. Raley has stumbled in recent appearances, and the kinds of late-inning spots Philadelphia wanted to stabilize have instead turned into fresh anxiety.
Relief markets are always part performance, part timing, and the Phillies are already facing the sort of hindsight that comes with every bullpen deal. Erik Miller, Luke Weaver and Tyler Wells all drew attention as alternatives because they were available and pitching well this season, which only sharpens the questions around Philadelphias choice. The season is still unfolding, but the early returns have made this one deadline call look far less certain than it did on paper. [Read more 🡒]