Alex Cora Offers Managing Return Update After Phillies’ Job Offer
The Philadelphia Phillies, battling for a playoff spot after a brutal season start, recently fired manager Rob Thomson, promoting bench coach Don Mattingly. However, Phillies president Dave Dombrowski, a former Red Sox executive, first offered the managerial role to Alex Cora, who he won a World Series with in Boston. Cora, dismissed by the Red Sox earlier this season after their own poor start, has been prioritizing family time. He recently indicated a potential return to managing, stating, "I think at one point, I’m gonna get back. When? We don’t know," emphasizing it would be a collective family decision. The Phillies could still be a destination for Cora, especially if Mattingly's interim leadership doesn't lead to a deep playoff run.
The Philadelphia Phillies are fighting for a playoff spot after a brutal start to the season that might have knocked them out of contention were it not for a dramatic change.
The Phillies released long-time skipper Rob Thomson and promoted bench coach Don Mattingly into the interim manager’s role. But as he made that change, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke with an old friend about taking over Thomson’s job instead.
Off to their own poor start, the Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora earlier this season, who won a World Series championship with the team while Dombrowski was in the front office. That connection pushed the Phillies boss to offer Cora the manager’s job in Philadelphia before pivoting to Mattingly.
“The Red Sox got off to a 10-17 start this year before Cora was fired, along with bench coach Ramon Vazquez, hitting coach Pete Fatse, game planning coordinator Jason Varitek and others,” Chris Cotillo reported for MassLive. “In the days after the firing, Cora was offered the Phillies’ managerial job by his former Red Sox boss, Dave Dombrowski.”
Rather than immediately jumping into another clubhouse, Cora has been spending time with his fiancee, Angelica, and their nine-year-old twins, Xander and Isander.
But now he has sent the clearest indication yet that he could managing again soon, with the Phillies looming as a potential destination.
Cora appears to be leaving the door open for a return to the dugout, though he stopped short of making a definitive commitment to any one team.
“I think at one point, I’m gonna get back,” Cora said during an appearance on “Dirt From The Dugout.” “When? We don’t know. We don’t know.”
Cora’s response emphasized that returning would be a collective decision among his immediate family members.
“There’s three different opinions in that room up there,” Cora added in a nod to his children and fiance at home. “If you ask the boys, they want me to manage and they have their teams. If you ask Angelica, she’s very polite about it. Let’s see what the future holds.”
That uncertainty is understandable. Cora was dismissed by Boston rather abruptly. But if he does decide to return for next season, the Phillies could be waiting, particularly if Mattingly is unable to drive a deep playoff run.