Philadelphia Phillies fans have been begging for heads to roll in the midst of the team’s atrocious start to the season. Manager Rob Thomson’s seat has become blazing hot after his club’s 10-game losing streak, and his replacement may have just become available, as the Boston Red Sox fired their own bench boss Álex Cora on Saturday.
Cora has a complicated history as a manager, as his 620-541 career record in Boston and 2018 World Series victory have led to him being considered one of the best skippers in the game. On the other hand, his involvement as one of the ringleaders of the infamous Houston Astros cheating scandal led to a one-year suspension back in 2020. On top of that, his 2018 championship has been called into question due to the Red Sox’s sign-stealing of their own.
Suffice it to say, there are good reasons for both admirers and detractors of Cora to feel the way they do. The 50-year-old was let go after his club’s wretched 10-17 start to the season, just one game better than the Phillies.
In spite of all that. Cora is a winner, and that’s exactly what the Phillies need. Their 10-game slide put them in a very precarious spot, as they’re now all but eliminated from the divisional race with a 9-18 record. If they want to have any chance at a Wild Card spot, they’ll need a dramatic turnaround.
Needless to say, it did not take long for the Cora-Phillies connection to be forged.
Alex Cora will now be the hottest commodity for the next managerial vacancy, and it’s no secret that he has a close relationship with Phillies president Dave Dombrowski
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 25, 2026
Could Álex Cora be the guy that turns around the Phillies?
Rob Thomson has done yeoman’s work over his five years piloting the Phillies, guiding his team to a 355-269 record in that span. While his overall body of work is beyond reproach, the organization is clearly in need of a shakeup as the 2022 pennant-winning core has become stale and resented by a large portion of the fanbase. The lion's share of that is due to terrible roster construction on the part of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, but unfortunately he doesn’t seem to be getting the axe anytime soon.
Fans won’t be satisfied until someone marches to the guillotine, and Rob Thomson is a logical choice. There’s good reason to think he’s lost control of the clubhouse after the Nick Castellanos saga became public, and some of his more recent quotes could be a peek behind the curtain at a manager who has lost his edge. His laidback style may have run its course in Philadelphia, and there’s now a decorated veteran available to step into his job.
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