Alex Cora declines Phillies manager job, plans to sit out 2027 season

Alex Cora will not pursue the Philadelphia Phillies’ managerial opening and intends to sit out the 2027 season, according to reports. Cora told Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski that he is opting to sit out next season despite interest in the position, The Boston Globe reported, citing USA TODAY Sports. Newsweek, citing USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, reported that Cora told Dombrowski he intends to take off the 2027 season. Reuters reported that Cora declined the chance to manage the Phillies. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

It was the second time the Phillies had approached Cora. The Boston Globe reported that Cora was offered the Phillies’ job in April but told Dombrowski he wanted to spend the rest of the summer with his family. Newsweek reported that Dombrowski offered Cora the job after firing Rob Thomson in April, and that the Phillies made bench coach Don Mattingly their interim manager after Cora, whom Boston had just let go, decided to spend time with family instead. Mattingly inherited a 9-19 team and led Philadelphia back to the postseason with a 79-55 record, Newsweek reported, before the Atlanta Braves eliminated the Phillies in the Wild Card Series. [ 1 , 3 ]

Cora was fired by the Red Sox on April 25 after the team got off to a 10-17 start, The Boston Globe reported. He was 620-541 as Red Sox manager, third in franchise history for victories, after taking the job before the 2018 season and leading Boston to the World Series championship that fall, according to the Globe. Newsweek reported that his 2018 team won 108 games, that he steered the Red Sox to the 2021 ALCS and to a wild-card berth last year, and that Boston made a change amid a 10-17 start to the 2026 campaign. [ 1 , 3 ]

Dombrowski said earlier this year that he considered Cora “one of the finest managers in the game of baseball,” Newsweek reported, adding that Dombrowski said he had been fortunate to work with Hall of Fame managers such as Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland and that Cora had a chance to be in that same category. With Cora out of the running, questions remain about Philadelphia’s dugout: Nightengale reported last week that the Phillies plan to part with Mattingly as manager gracefully while offering him a front-office role, Newsweek reported, adding that the NL East club wants new blood. Newsweek also said the Phillies could reconsider retaining Mattingly, the 2020 National League Manager of the Year. [ 3 ]