Alex Cora: MLB Team ‘Confident' Manager Will be Persuaded to Join
On April 25, the Boston Red Sox made the questionable decision to fire manager Alex Cora amid a 10-17 start.
Cora’s firing ruffled some feathers in Boston’s clubhouse, with one player using vulgar language to describe firing the manager for poor results due to reasons outside his scope.
The Philadelphia Phillies reached out to hire Cora amid a slow start to the season under manager Rob Thomson. Cora rejected the offer, choosing to stay at home for the summer with his family while he plots his next move.
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Philadelphia fired Thomson on Tuesday, naming Don Mattingly as its interim manager.
Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Phillies believe they can persuade him to join their team for the 2027 campaign.
“While Alex Cora will be the hottest free-agent commodity this winter, the Phillies are confident that he will be managing their team in 2027,” Nightengale wrote. “Cora also is expected to be wooed by the Houston Astros and New York Mets.”
Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, reportedly has a close relationship with Cora.
Dombrowski and Cora worked together in Boston in 2017 and 2018 (when the Red Sox won the World Series). Cora was in his first stint as the manager of Boston, and Dombrowski was the president of baseball operations.
That relationship could be the key to the Phillies landing Cora amid a sea of MLB teams that would love to have him in their clubhouse.
Cora is a talented manager, and he'd be an upgrade for the Phillies next season. Hiring Cora would ease the pain of trying to hold on to Thomson after an early exit in the playoffs last year.
The Astros should be a team for the Phillies to keep an eye on if they decide to fire manager Joe Espada. Cora won the 2017 World Series with Houston as a bench coach.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 8:29 PM.