It doesn’t seem as if Alex Cora can be in one other main league dugout in 2026. Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe writes that the previous Purple Sox skipper plans to spend time together with his younger sons in his native Puerto Rico fairly than leap immediately again into managing. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported equally this morning, writing that Cora’s present focus is on his household.
The 2018 World Sequence champion might have landed a brand new alternative inside hours of being fired by the Sox on Saturday. Bob Nightengale of USA Right this moment reported this morning that the Phillies supplied their managerial place to Cora earlier than selecting Don Mattingly as interim skipper for the remainder of 2026. Philly president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski roughly confirmed as a lot in a press convention this afternoon.
Dombrowski stopped in need of saying there was a proper contract supply on the desk, however he confirmed the job would have been Cora’s had he wished it. Dombrowski informed reporters (together with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com) that he mentioned the place with Cora on Sunday morning, lower than 24 hours after the Boston change.
“We talked about probably taking the job. I had informed him I had actually come to the conclusion at that time that if he took it, I used to be going to make a change. I believed that he may take it, however as time went on over the following day into Monday morning, it was obvious from his perspective that he wished to take time together with his household,” Dombrowski mentioned.
Cora and Dombrowski have a robust relationship from their time along with the Purple Sox. They overlapped between 2018-19, profitable the aforementioned championship within the first season. Boston parted methods with Dombrowski on the finish of a disappointing ’19 marketing campaign. They fired Cora just a few months later after his position within the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing operation grew to become public. Cora served a one-year suspension, and the Purple Sox re-hired him after the 2020 season.
The second stint lasted five-plus seasons and made him one of many sport’s highest-paid managers. Cora’s most up-to-date extension runs via 2027 and reportedly pays him $7.25MM yearly. The Purple Sox will stay on the hook for that cash if Cora doesn’t take one other managerial place within the interim.
If one other crew hires him earlier than his cope with Boston expires, his new wage can be subtracted from the Purple Sox’s obligations. Nonetheless, Feinsand experiences that any hiring crew is required to pay “honest market worth” for an MLB supervisor — at the very least just a few million {dollars} — to rent Cora fairly than signing him for nearly nothing and leaving Boston on the hook for the complete sum. After all, that’d be a moot level if Cora decides to not pursue managerial jobs in 2027 both.
Cora’s dialog with Dombrowski a couple of potential reunion in Philadelphia got here earlier than the crew introduced they had been firing Rob Thomson. Dombrowski determined a change was crucial and went via with that dismissal even after Cora handed. They knowledgeable Thomson of the choice on Tuesday morning, roughly two hours earlier than they made the formal announcement (hyperlink by way of Matt Gelb of The Athletic).
Thomson additionally met with reporters on Tuesday. He mentioned he had no difficulty with Dombrowski’s dialog with Cora whereas he was nonetheless the supervisor. “I believe Dave’s simply doing his due diligence,” Thomson mentioned (by way of Gelb). “He had made up his thoughts and he was going to maneuver ahead. … Dave and I’ve a detailed relationship, however that doesn’t stand in the best way of him doing the best factor for the group. I respect that.” The previous skipper spoke extremely of the crew and mentioned he’d “critically entertain” an advisory place down the road if the Phillies make him a suggestion (by way of Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
