How Close Alex Cora Came to Joining Phillies, Shaking Up NL East

The National League East arguably has been the most surprising division in Major League Baseball so far this season.

The NL East is full of star power and was supposed to have multiple contenders in the National League, at least on paper. Right now, two of those expected contenders are tied for last place and have the worst record in the National League in the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. The Phillies and Mets are currently tied at 9-19. There isn't another team in the National League with fewer than 13 wins.

The Atlanta Braves have been a surprise, but in a positive way, as they went 20-9 across the first month of the season, despite not being at full strength. The Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals are tied for second place in the division at 13-16.

On Tuesday, the Phillies shook up the division a tad by firing manager Rob Thomson and replacing him with interim manager Don Mattingly. There was a time when rumors swirled about the idea of bringing in Alex Cora, who recently was fired by the Boston Red Sox. But that didn't work out. The Phillies tried but he opted against accepting the job at this time.

The NL East Was Almost Shaken Up By Alex Cora

Apr 20, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora signs a baseball for a fan prior to a game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

But just how close did he get to shaking up the NL East? Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski opened up about his pursuit of Cora on Tuesday afternoon, as transcribed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

"I talked to him on Sunday morning," Dombrowski said, as transcribed by Cotillo. "We talked about potentially taking the job. I had told him I had really come to the conclusion that if he took it, I was going to make a change. I thought he might take it. As time went on over the next day into Monday morning, it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family.

"It wasn’t because of pay or because he’s paid through the next year. He just felt that he wanted, at this point, to be a father first and foremost. That’s what he had decided."

Right now, things are already different in the division. We've seen one manager fired and the Mets should be another team to watch from that perspective. But Cora isn't coming to the division right now.

If the Phillies had been able to land a World Series-winning manager in Cora, he would've helped turn around Philadelphia. That isn't happening right now, though.

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