Alex Cora’s Rejection Leaves the Phillies Facing an Uncomfortable Reality

The former Red Sox manager reportedly turned down a second offer to manage Philadelphia.

Bryce Harper and the Phillies are still looking for their next manager. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Phillies were just dealt their second big disappointment in a week.

After bowing out of the playoffs in a wild-card series loss to the Braves, Philadelphia was ready to turn the page to a new era. The 2026 campaign was an up-and-down disappointment for a franchise with designs on a World Series run. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski targeted the man he thought could turn things around next season. He was rejected. 

Alex Cora will not be the next Phillies manager as he told the team he plans to take 2027 off to spend time with his family. The Red Sox fired Cora on April 25 after a 10–17 start, then proceeded to make a run to the postseason under interim manager Chad Tracy. The Phillies similarly had a tough start under manager Rob Thomson and fired him on April 28 after opening the campaign 9–19. Don Mattingly stepped in and managed the team to the postseason.

After canning Thomson, Dombrowski reached out to Cora about taking over the Phillies mid-season. The veteran manager declined but it was clear the Phillies’ front office viewed him as their future. 

While Philadelphia spent the season pining after Cora, the feelings weren’t mutual.

This has to be a massive blow to Dombrowski, whom Cora has called a mentor. When the 70-year-old executive was running the Red Sox, he hired Cora to manage the team in October 2017. The next season, Boston won the World Series. Dombrowski was fired by the Red Sox in September ’19, and joined the Phillies before the ’21 season. 

This looked like the perfect chance for a reunion but Cora demurred. His stated reasons for taking a year off are perfectly legitimate, but it’s fair to wonder why a job that seemingly checked a lot of boxes wasn’t enough to change his mind. 

Alex Cora rejected the Phillies' overtures for the second time this year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An Aging, Expensive Roster

Philadelphia has a roster full of All-Stars, though the big names still under contract for next year are on the back nine of their careers. Bryce Harper (34), Kyle Schwarber (33), J.T. Realmuto (35) and Trea Turner (33) have been on the wrong side of 30 for a few years now, while Alec Bohm and Luis Arráez are both heading into free agency.

That wouldn’t be as concerning if the lineup had produced in 2026. Instead, the Phillies finished 28th in wRC+ (92), 22nd in OPS (.707) and 19th in runs scored (713). Harper and Schwarber were the only hitters who played up to their potential, leading the team in bWAR at 3.1 and 2.6, respectively. Turner finished at -0.1, Realmuto was at 0.0, while Brandon Marsh (0.4) and J.P. Crawford (-0.2) also struggled. That’s four regulars who were essentially replacement-level players.

The Phillies are fully in win-now mode and already have an enormous amount of money committed to a roster that disappointed this season. Heading into 2027, the Phillies already have $216 million in guaranteed contracts. Wheeler ($42 million), Schwarber ($33 million), Harper ($27.6 million), Turner ($27.3 million), Jesús Luzardo ($27 million) and Nola ($24.6 million) carry the biggest hits on the team’s bottom line. 

The pitching staff also isn’t getting any younger as Cristopher Sánchez will be 30 during the 2027 season, while Zack Wheeler will turn 37 in May and Aaron Nola will be 34 in June.

Whoever takes the Phillies job isn’t inheriting a roster with a long championship window. The new manager will be asked to produce another World Series run out of an aging, expensive core that looks to be declining. 

Given Cora’s track record, he should have his pick of managerial openings after next season. The opportunity wasn’t good enough to lure him away from a year off. 

Philadelphia president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has a stiff challenge ahead of him this offseason. | Rich von Biberstein/Getty Images

An Awkward Plan B

Now Dombrowski has to pivot to Plan B, whoever that might be. It could mean reengaging with Mattingly after the franchise had seemingly already moved on. 

Under Mattingly’s watch, the Phillies went 79–55, a 96-win pace over a full season, and a team that looked dead in the water in April reached the postseason. Despite that performance, Dombrowski was clearly dead-set on Cora. 

The situation could become awkward. Last week, a report surfaced that the team was prepared to “gracefully” move on from its interim manager. Jon Heyman now reports the Phillies may attempt to retain him. Mattingly has made no secret that he wants the job, and his son, Preston, is Philadelphia’s general manager.

Dombrowski is in the unenviable position of potentially going back to the manager he’d already moved on from. Mattingly would be accepting the job knowing his bosses spent months waiting for someone else.

Cora’s rejection won’t doom the Phillies. But an aging roster, enormous payroll and shrinking championship window weren’t enough to convince Dombrowski’s hand-picked candidate to take the job. 

Now Philadelphia has to find someone who believes he can squeeze a championship out of a team that fell far short of expectations in 2026.

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