The Phillies’ search for their next manager keeps circling back to Alex Cora, but the answer appears to be the same one again: not now.
Philadelphia reportedly tried to bring Cora in when the Red Sox dismissed him during the 2026 season, and the fit made obvious sense. Dave Dombrowski knows Cora well from their time together in Boston, and the Phillies were looking for a new direction after moving on from Rob Thomson following a 9-19 start. But Cora is expected to be out of the picture for at least the 2027 season.
Bob Nightengale reported that the Phillies made another run at Cora, only to be turned away again.
“Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, spoke with Cora about becoming their manager in 2027, but Cora informed Dombrowski he’s taking the season off, a high-ranking Phillies executive with direct knowledge of their talks told USA TODAY Sports,” Nightengale wrote.
Cora’s first rejection came back in April, when he said he wanted to spend more time with his family over the summer. This time, no fresh explanation was offered, and he did not respond to a text message from USA Today Sports.
Money doesn’t appear to be the issue. Cora is owed $7.25 million from the Red Sox in 2027, the final year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract, so he is already set up well financially.
With Cora stepping aside again, the Phillies will have to look elsewhere, and that brings Don Mattingly back into the conversation. Mattingly served as the interim manager after Thomson was let go, and there is interest from players who enjoyed playing for him and would like to see him keep the job.
He wasn’t ready to address that possibility after the Phillies were knocked out of the MLB playoffs in the Wild Card Round by the Atlanta Braves.
Mattingly did get results. Philadelphia went 79-55 under his watch after the rough start under Thomson.
Still, Cora’s name isn’t going away anytime soon. As long as Dombrowski remains in charge and Cora is not managing elsewhere, the idea of a future reunion will keep hanging over the Phillies’ next hire. That creates an unusual situation for whoever takes the job, with Cora looming as a possible option in 2028.
In Other News...
Phillies May Be Eyeing An Outfield Fix With One Big Catch
The Phillies are being linked to another potential outfield upgrade this offseason, with Ian Happ surfacing as a name of interest as the club looks to deepen its lineup. Happ is coming off a down year in 2026, but his track record still gives him appeal for a team that wants more production and balance in the outfield mix.
The attraction is easy to see: Happ has shown real offensive ability in past seasons and has supplied steady home run production along the way. The question for Philadelphia is whether the fit makes enough sense to overlook the swing-and-miss risk, since his high strikeout rate has long been one of the main concerns attached to his profile. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Offseason Just Got Bigger After Two Costly Deals Expire
The Phillies offseason picture changed in a big way when the deals for Taijuan Walker and Nick Castellanos ran out, giving the club a much cleaner path to reworking the roster after missing the postseason. Philadelphia now has nearly $40 million in payroll room to work with, a meaningful reset for a team that still views itself as built to compete rather than rebuild.
For a front office that has spent the last few winters trying to thread the needle between urgency and flexibility, this kind of opening matters. The money alone does not solve the problems, but it gives the Phillies more room to address needs across the roster and make the kind of additions that could keep them in the conversation next season. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Have A Bryce Harper Possibility To Watch
As the Phillies head into an offseason that could bring real roster turnover, the most intriguing name in the chatter is Bryce Harper. Insiders have suggested Philadelphia may explore moving players, and while Trea Turner has been floated in some discussions, Harper has emerged as the more plausible of the two if the club decides to make a major change.
Boston has already surfaced as a team to keep an eye on if Harper ever becomes available and is open to waiving his no-trade clause. It is still early and purely speculative, but the mere possibility gives the Red Sox a star-level scenario worth monitoring while the Phillies sort through what could be a busy winter. [Read more 🡒]