Alex Cora turned down another opportunity to manage the Philadelphia Phillies and plans to take the 2027 season off, USA Today reported Wednesday.
The report’s source was a “high-ranking Phillies executive with direct knowledge” of the talks between Cora and Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
Philadelphia reportedly plans to part ways with interim manager Don Mattingly after falling to the Atlanta Braves in last week’s National League wild-card series. Mattingly inherited a team that started 9-19 under Rob Thomson and guided them to a 79-55 mark to finish out the regular season.
The Phillies fired Rob Thomson on April 28, three days after the Boston Red Sox fired Cora following a 10-17 start.
Dombrowski said he offered the job to Cora at the time but was turned down, prompting the team to turn to Mattingly, who was in his first season as Thomson’s bench coach.
“It’s not the time to talk about it,” Mattingly said when he was asked about his future following the elimination by the Braves. “I’m comfortable with whatever they want to do.
“I want the best for the Phillies. I loved being in Philly this year. I actually like playing in that environment. I like the environment. It’s a rough environment, but it’s good.”
Cora, who turns 51 on Oct. 18, compiled a 620-541 record in two stints as the skipper in Boston (2018-19, 2021-26). He led the Red Sox to a World Series championship in 2018.
Mattingly, 65, has a 968-1,005 record as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2011-15), Miami Marlins (2016-22) and Phillies (2026).
