Alex Cora was a name the Philadelphia Phillies hoped they would see in the managerial cycle after the 2026 season. The club had another early exit from the postseason, and the depressing rebuke of their offseason plan came early as well. Now comes the search for someone to lead them to a hopeful World Series title in 2027. Cora is a proven winner and was reportedly a main target of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski at the time of Rob Thomson's firing back in April. Dombrowski, as expected, revisited the discussion this October, but is now forced to look elsewhere after a firm second denial from Cora.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, Cora had recently informed Dombrowski that he's taking the 2027 season off and is not interested in managing next season. Cora initially declined the job to spend time with his family during the summer. The Phillies are again faced with another dispassionate Cora in October.
Phillies spurned again by Alex Cora, as manager says he's taking 2027 offhttps://t.co/pCx5pHvmhb
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 7, 2026
Phillies have some searching to do to fill managerial opening in 2027, and it might be Don Mattingly
The Phillies shouldn't have put all their managers' eggs in the Cora basket, but the pairing seemed practical with the Boston connection from Dombrowski's previous regime with the Red Sox. The two found success together with a World Series title, but perhaps it's just not meant to be after all.
The Phillies still have Don Mattingly at their disposal through 2027 as their bench coach, along with some other candidates, although none have accumulated the MLB success Cora has. Mattingly, to the dismay of some Phillies fans, would be the safest option if no other candidate stands out. He's currently the interim manager, so the Phillies would just have to drop the “interim“ for him to take over.
As Jayson Stark reported on Wednesday morning, that reversal is apparently on the table.
Now that Alex Cora has snubbed the Phillies again, their managerial search could turn back to ...
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 7, 2026
Don Mattingly
A story from me and @MattGelb
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Mattingly did turn the Phillies around from a 9-19 start with a 79-55 record and a playoff berth, but the team flailed down the stretch, messing up any plans involving setting up the starting pitching heading into the Wild Card round. Mattingly wasn't perfect in the execution of his decisions, but the team seemed to respond to him well enough to clinch the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.
Dombrowski is expected to have his season-ending press conference at some point soon to address the offseason that lies ahead for the Phillies. The manager position will be a hot topic if nothing is revealed before then. The Phillies need a new voice to get them going and out of the rut they've created themselves. Maybe that involves Mattingly, but finding someone else proven worthy of the opportunity seems cleaner.
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