The Phillies’ 2026 turnaround has already been dramatic, but the bigger story may be what comes next.
Don Mattingly stepped into a mess and steadied it fast, taking over a 9-19 club and pushing Philadelphia to a 41-21 record. That surge has the Phillies right back in the NL East race, and it has also kept the conversation around the manager’s chair very much alive.
Mattingly was never viewed as the long-term answer. He made that clear soon after taking the job, saying he wouldn’t want to handle the responsibilities of a manager for an extended period of time. Even with the way the Phillies have played since, the organization still appears to be lining up a bigger swing.
That swing, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, is Alex Cora.
“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.”
The Mets’ own managerial chaos has only added fuel to the speculation. After firing Carlos Mendoza, they’ve become part of the Cora conversation too, but Nightengale’s reporting points to Philadelphia as the favorite landing spot. He also linked Carlos Beltran to the Mets’ opening.
For the Phillies, Cora makes sense on several levels. He’d be walking into a team that is actually contending, which is a major difference from the situation he left behind in Boston. He’d also inherit a veteran roster loaded with established names, not a club still trying to grow into itself.
There’s another obvious connection here: Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies’ president of baseball operations has a strong relationship with Cora, and the two already worked together to win the 2018 World Series in Boston. That history matters, and it gives Philadelphia a built-in edge if the team does move from a temporary fix to a permanent hire.
Cora could also bring value beyond the dugout in terms of player development, which would matter for younger Phillies such as Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter, and eventually Gage Wood and Aidan Miller.
For now, Mattingly’s work is still the headline. But the possibility of Cora taking over gives the Phillies a much bigger picture to think about once the season ends.
In Other News...
Why Would The Mets Even Consider This NL East Trade Rumor
The National League East has been tight enough that every deadline rumor gets extra oxygen, and Clay Holmes has become one of the more interesting names to watch. Before his leg injury, he was pitching well for the Mets, and there is real precedent for clubs dealing injured arms in July if the market and the medicals line up. For the Phillies, any chance to weaken a division rival while adding a proven arm is the kind of move that can shape the stretch run.
Holmes also carries a layer of future uncertainty that makes the speculation more than just idle chatter. He has a player option after the season that he is expected to decline, which only adds to the sense that the Mets may have to decide whether to keep him for a push or cash in now. If they do listen, Philadelphia would be paying close attention, because a trade like that would say plenty about how both teams see the race unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Make Another Unsettling Bullpen Change Before Reds Series
The Phillies kept tinkering with the bullpen mix before opening a series against the Reds, optioning left-hander Kyle Backhus to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and bringing back right-hander Max Lazar. It is the kind of move that says as much about the moment as it does about either pitcher, with Philadelphia still trying to find the right late-inning fit while sorting through a relief group that has been in flux.
Backhus had been hit hard in recent outings, and the club is clearly looking for steadier answers as it waits for veteran Brad Keller to come off the injured list. Lazar gives the Phillies a familiar arm with some Triple-A success behind him and a few big-league looks already on his rsum this season, but this bullpen picture still feels very much in motion as the trade deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]