Ex-Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Tightly Linked to Phillies

A situation to monitor all fall...

Mar 14, 2019; Lakeland, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (right) and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (left) look on during batting practice prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The initial shock of the Boston Red Sox firing manager Alex Cora has long worn off. But Major League Baseball will see a widespread impact from whatever his next move may be.

Long acknowledged as one of the better skippers at his craft, Cora put up a 620-541 record with a World Series title as the manager of the Red Sox. His late April firing during the Sox's road trip to Baltimore was one of the most shocking moves the franchise has made in recent memory, but it also may have helped turn the season around.

The fact that the Red Sox have gotten off the mat without Cora at the helm, however, hasn't seemed to dim his prospects of getting another top job if he wants it. After he reportedly turned down an opportunity to manage the Philadelphia Phillies immediately after his firing, Cora's future outlook got a reported update on Sunday.

Cora overwhelming favorite to become Phillies manager?

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Cora is expected to take over the Phillies' managerial job from interim skipper Don Mattingly at the end of the season, unless Philadelphia makes it back to the World Series with Mattingly at the helm.

"Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, who took over for Rob Thomson on April 28, not only must lead the Phillies to the postseason, but likely to the World Series or even win it to be asked back," wrote Nightengale. "Alex Cora, who turned down the job when Thomson was fired, is expected to be the Phillies’ next manager barring a World Series berth or title."

The connection in Philadelphia is obvious, as Cora was originally hired in Boston by former president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who is now in the same role with the Phillies.

Cora, who turns 51 in October, has often said he doesn't see himself managing until he's long in the tooth. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be willing to make a couple more playoff runs with a Phillies team that's been in win-now mode for half a decade at this point.

It's a sideplot of the fall to watch for Red Sox fans, who also have to be wondering why interim manager Chad Tracy still hasn't gotten Cora's old job on a full-time basis.

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