It is no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies would love their next manager to be Alex Cora, who was fired by the Boston Red Sox during the 2026 season.

When that move was made by the Red Sox, the Phillies reportedly offered their managerial job to Cora. Philadelphia had decided to move on from Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start and was looking for someone to lead their squad.

Given the relationship between Dave Dombrowski and Cora from their time in Boston together, it was evident that the former Red Sox skipper was the No. 1 target for the Phillies. Alas, they are going to have to turn their attention to their No. 2 target because they aren’t going to have Cora in the dugout for at least the 2027 season.

According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, Cora has spurned Philadelphia for a second time after he and Dombrowski spoke about the managerial job.

Alex Cora reportedly turns down Phillies, 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,” Nightingale wrote.

When he was originally offered the job back in April, Cora cited wanting to spend more time with his family over the summer as the reason for not accepting. A reason for declining a second time has not been provided, as the former Boston manager didn’t respond to a text message from USA Today Sports.

Owed $7.25 million from the Red Sox in 2027, which would have been the final year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract, Cora certainly isn’t going to be motivated by money to return to a clubhouse in 2027; he is making plenty without having to work.

Attention will now turn to other managerial options. Does Cora’s decision open the door for Don Mattingly, who was the interim manager in place of Thomson, to have that tag removed and handle the job full-time?

Players on the team loved playing for him and would like to see Mattingly back. But he wasn’t ready to discuss that after his team was eliminated from the MLB playoffs in the Wild Card Round by the Atlanta Braves.

Mattingly did an excellent job, with the Phillies going 79-55 under his watch following the tough start with Thomson.

Given the affinity that Dombrowski has for Cora, as long as he is available, rumors are going to persist. That makes this job a uniquely awkward one for whoever is hired next by the franchise because Cora looms as a possible option in 2028.

As long as Dombrowski is running things in Philadelphia and Cora isn’t working elsewhere, the possibility of him being hired will remain.

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