The Philadelphia Phillies are officially back to square one in their search for a 2027 manager after Alex Cora, the guy they really wanted, told them he’s taking the whole season off. This isn’t just a casual ‘no’ either; it’s the second time Cora has turned down their top job, according to a high-ranking Phillies executive with direct knowledge of their talks. Yeah, you read that right. *Second time*.
Cora’s Double “Nah” Sends Phillies Management Scrambling
It turns out Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who won a World Series with Cora back in 2018 on the Red Sox, had already tried this once. Cora was offered the gig way back in April, even *before* they fired Rob Thomson, and he straight up declined then too. He apparently just wanted to spend the rest of that summer with his family. Totally fair, but you gotta wonder what that signals for a team trying to land their guy, right? You get rejected once, you gotta re-evaluate. But they went for it again.
The Big Bucks and the Bench Coach Problem
Now, after chasing him again, Cora’s still saying thanks, but no thanks. The big kicker here is Cora is still owed about $7.25 million from the Red Sox for 2027. That’s the third and final year of his massive three-year, $21.75 million contract. That’s a pretty sweet deal to just chill for a year and still rake in serious cash. Don Mattingly, who stepped in as interim manager and actually pulled off a wild-card berth for the Phillies, is still under contract for 2027, but only as a bench coach. So, even with a guy who delivered some wins, the Phillies are still without their main man at the helm. Cora didn’t even bother to respond to a text message when USA TODAY Sports reached out.
So, the Phillies are left hanging. Cora clearly ain’t picking up his texts, and the front office still hasn’t decided who’s actually managing the team come 2027. It’s a rough spot to be in, trying to build momentum when your top target keeps walking away.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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