Source: Alex Cora turns down the Phillies again, doesn’t intend to return to managing in 2027
With a work stoppage looming, the Phillies could decide to make Don Mattingly the full-time manager. The Phillies went 79-55 under Mattingly after firing Rob Thomson in late April.
Alex Cora won’t be the Phillies’ next manager after all.
For the second time in six months, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered the job to Cora, and for the second time, Cora turned it down, a source familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak about it said late Tuesday night. (The news was first reported by USA Today.)
Now, the Phillies must choose between appointing Don Mattingly as the full-time manager, and presumably extending his contract, or conducting a managerial search.
» READ MORE: The big offseason questions facing the Phillies: Core’s future, fixing the bullpen, and who’s managing?
Cora, 50, was viewed within the sport as the likeliest candidate to take the Phillies’ reins because of his close relationship with Dombrowski. They won a World Series together with the Red Sox in 2018.
But Cora is owed $7.25 million through the end of 2027 by the Red Sox, who fired him April 25. And after spending the summer with his family in Puerto Rico, he informed Dombrowski that he doesn’t plan to manage next year, according to the source.
Family considerations (Cora has 9-year-old twin sons) are are believed to be the biggest factor, but baseball’s looming work stoppage might’ve played a role, too. Once the owners lock out the players on Dec. 1, as expected, team officials won’t be permitted to speak with players, a “tough spot for a new manager,” the source said.
The easiest solution, then, might be to retain Mattingly.
Mattingly, 65, took over on an interim basis for deposed Rob Thomson, albeit after Dombrowski first tried to hire Cora, and led the Phillies to a 79-55 record, the fourth-best mark in baseball after April 28. But the Phillies also stumbled to a 9-14 finish and didn’t clinch a wild card until the season’s final game.
Owner John Middleton said Mattingly did a “pretty damn good” job, but stopped short of weighing in on whether he wants him to stay.
“That’s Dave’s decision,” Middleton said in yet another vote of confidence for Dombrowski.
The two-year contract that Mattingly signed to be the bench coach runs through 2027. He said in July that he’s interested in continuing to manage.
» READ MORE: Will Don Mattingly return? That’s ‘Dave’s decision,’ the first of many facing Dombrowski.
“I like doing it,” he said during a series in Cincinnati before the All-Star break. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. And I’d committed two years [as bench coach]. In my mind, I told Dave two years, right? So, at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything, that you’re going to do this for two years.
“So, if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do, I would be fine with it.”
Most players had instant respect for Mattingly, a Hall of Fame-worthy player. Several said they appreciated his honesty and directness as a communicator.
“I just felt like he was just calm, man,” shortstop Trea Turner said after the wild-card-series-ending loss to the Braves. “He was easy to talk to. I could talk to him about anything hitting. He just seemed like a cool guy that wanted to be here, and then if he needed to let you know something was wrong, he’d let you know. I appreciate the honesty.”
If not Mattingly, it’s unclear where the Phillies would turn. When they added him to Thomson’s coaching staff, they cited his experience as a major-league player and former manager with the Dodgers.
None of the coaches on Mattingly’s staff has major-league managerial experience.
It’s clear that Cora remained Dombrowski’s first choice. Cora often refers to Dombrowski as a “mentor,” while Dombrowski compares Cora’s tactical skills with Hall of Fame managers Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa.
Now, the Phillies will have to look elsewhere.
The Phillies haven't won a playoff series since 2023, and their postseasons keep getting shorter and shorter. How can they fix it? Radio play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke joins Phillies Extra, The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss Trea Turner's future, the managerial uncertainty, whether the Phillies can get "creative" to change the mix of the roster, and more. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Larry Andersen | Matt Klentak | Jeff Francoeur | Luke Murton | Mike Hazen | Tony Gwynn Jr. | Kevin Stocker | Bobby Dickerson | Jim Bowden | John Middleton
