Red Sox Spared Awkward Reunion as Alex Cora Declines Phillies Job

It certainly sounds like the Boston Red Sox aren't going to have to see recently-fired manager Alex Cora in the near future.

Immediately after the Red Sox let Cora go, the conversation shifted to where he could land next. A handful of teams were tossed around, but the most smoke out there was around the Philadelphia Phillies. The day Cora was fired, USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted that the Phillies could be an option while citing Cora's relationship with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who hired him to manage the Red Sox in the first place.

On Tuesday, that possibility opened up for a brief moment as Philadelphia fired manager Rob Thomson. Nightengale reported that Cora was offered the role, but he turned it down in order to spend more time with his family outside of baseball.

The Former Red Sox Manager Isn't Joining The Phillies

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) shakes hands with starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) during a pitching change during the eighth inning of game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"Alex Cora was offered the Philadelphia Phillies' managerial job before Don Mattingly, but declined," Nightengale wrote. "He has decided to spend time with his family."

For the Red Sox, this is good news. Boston is two weeks away from facing off against the Phillies in a three-game series at Fenway Park from May 12-14.

The Boston fanbase is a bit tense right now, to say the least, and rightfully so. Boston has won three games in a row — its longest since September — but still finds itself sitting in last place in the American League East at 12-17. This is a club that has had some pretty big public relations whiffs over the last year. First, there was all the drama with Rafael Devers before the 2025 season. Then, the Red Sox struggled and traded Devers away. Then, this past offseason, Boston let Alex Bregman walk in free agency. Now, Boston is in last place and just fired its manager. To say that the relationship between the team and fanbase is tense right now would be an understatement.

Imagine if two weeks after cutting ties with Cora, he landed with another expected contender and found a way to turn them around and then beat the Red Sox at Fenway Park? There have been some boos for the team at Fenway Park already this season. If Cora returned and beat the Red Sox, those boos would only be exponentially louder. Also, with Cora not taking a job right away, it does take one storyline away from this drama around the organization. Hopefully, it is one less distraction for a club that doesn't need any.

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