It doesn’t appear as if Alex Cora will be in another major league dugout in 2026. Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe writes that the former Red Sox skipper plans to spend time with his young sons in his native Puerto Rico rather than jump directly back into managing. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported similarly this morning, writing that Cora’s current focus is on his family.
The 2018 World Series champion could have landed a new opportunity within hours of being fired by the Sox on Saturday. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported this morning that the Phillies offered their managerial position to Cora before settling on Don Mattingly as interim skipper for the rest of 2026. Philly president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski more or less confirmed as much in a press conference this afternoon.
Dombrowski stopped short of saying there was a formal contract offer on the table, but he confirmed the job would have been Cora’s had he wanted it. Dombrowski told reporters (including Mark Feinsand of MLB.com) that he discussed the position with Cora on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after the Boston change.
“We talked about potentially taking the job. I had told him I had really come to the conclusion at that point that if he took it, I was going to make a change. I thought that he might take it, but as time went on over the next day into Monday morning, it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family,” Dombrowski said.
Cora and Dombrowski have a strong relationship from their time together with the Red Sox. They overlapped between 2018-19, winning the aforementioned championship in the first season. Boston parted ways with Dombrowski at the end of a disappointing ’19 campaign. They fired Cora a few months later after his role in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing operation became public. Cora served a one-year suspension, and the Red Sox re-hired him after the 2020 season.
The second stint lasted five-plus seasons and made him one of the sport’s highest-paid managers. Cora’s most recent extension runs through 2027 and reportedly pays him $7.25MM annually. The Red Sox will remain on the hook for that money if Cora doesn’t take another managerial position in the interim.
If another team hires him before his deal with Boston expires, his new salary would be subtracted from the Red Sox’s obligations. However, Feinsand reports that any hiring team is required to pay “fair market value” for an MLB manager — at least a few million dollars — to hire Cora rather than signing him for virtually nothing and leaving Boston on the hook for the entire sum. Of course, that’d be a moot point if Cora decides not to pursue managerial jobs in 2027 either.
Cora’s conversation with Dombrowski about a potential reunion in Philadelphia came before the team announced they were firing Rob Thomson. Dombrowski decided a change was necessary and went through with that dismissal even after Cora passed. They informed Thomson of the decision on Tuesday morning, roughly two hours before they made the formal announcement (link via Matt Gelb of The Athletic).
Thomson also met with reporters on Tuesday. He said he had no issue with Dombrowski’s conversation with Cora while he was still the manager. “I think Dave’s just doing his due diligence,” Thomson said (via Gelb). “He had made up his mind and he was going to move forward. … Dave and I have a close relationship, but that doesn’t stand in the way of him doing the right thing for the organization. I respect that.” The former skipper spoke highly of the team and said he’d “seriously entertain” an advisory position down the line if the Phillies make him an offer (via Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Kind of sounds like DD was doing Thompson dirty. Cora would probably be better on a veteran team but I’m not sure the Phillies are it
Rsox, how is that dirty.DD made a decision and immediately spoke to cora. one score turned it down Mattingly was confirmed as the interim manager. depending on how the season plays out next year will be either Mattingly or cora. such as soon the Mets aren’t interested. to me, Cora is vastly overpaid and I would not be interested at the price point.
Rsox – Cora would want to join a team in the offseason and have input on roster construction. He’s gonna be seeking similar power to what he had in Boston, which was more than most managers have. Not sure if Dave would be willing to give him that unusual authority.
Two big, big points that immediately come to mind:
1) Red Sox are fools for not reaching out to the Phillies, Mets etc right before firing him, to see if those teams would be willing to trade for Cora. Dave would have likely jumped at the idea of trading for Cora. The Sox would have then unloaded Cora’s entire contract and also gotten something in return for him, like they did with Theo years ago.
2) It’s been reported elsewhere that Cora jumping to another team would allow him to earn that team’s salary on top of his Red Sox salary. MLBTR set the record straight, pointing out there is an offset clause which means if Cora manages elsewhere this year or next year he would be essentially working for nothing. Why would he do that? Why would anybody do that? Therefore I wouldn’t expect him to take another managerial job this year, and maybe not next year either unless a team like the Mets entices him with authority and additional compensation.
This is why I love this place, they are fantastic at providing information. I follow many different sources, not one mentioned that a new team’s salary would be subtracted from his Red Sox salary … which obviously changes everything.
lol no one’s trading for Alex Cora
sack – I don’t understand what you mean?
Saturday night Dave wanted Cora.
Why wouldn’t he have wanted him Friday night? He’d save money too, as a free agent Cora will want more than 2 years and more than $7.25M annually.
The last manager I remember being traded was John Farrell (and David Carpenter) from the Jays for Mike Aviles (a career backup IF) from the Red Sox and that was 14 years ago.
I don’t think managers are valued like they used to be.
Just heard on weei Nate Eaton was called up . No correlating move announced yet. Hmmm …
cdc – hi!
Thanks, I’m guessing an injury replacement? Who was limping from getting hit on the toe, was it Contreras?
I remember Mayer flexing his wrist and getting it checked out
Possibly a DFA????
cdc – hi!
YES that is right, thank you!!!! I forgot about that. Very well could be him.
FPG
The thing about DD ,is his honesty. The guy tells you how it is. The guy was fired 7 months after stewarding his team to a WS victory. I cannot recall any front office leader even close to him and his way of laying things out and then accomplishing them,or why they didn’t. Amazing.
DD is a disaster. He’s great at spending Middleton’s money – and then jettisoning millions to push them off the team. Casty = 20M; Tajuan Walker 18M; newly-extended Rob Thomson. ?M. DD can’t manage a bowling alley much less an MLB team. It’s time for him to retire – he can join the 2030 Phillies’ oldsters and use walkers and wheelchairs to make his way around CBP. A barren decade awaits Phillies’ fans. Cora is smart enough to see all of this and wait for a more fruitful opportunity….. The playa in Dorado is a great place to relax while you get paid the rest of your 7.5M…
DD will be a HOF executive, his history in MIA, DET, BOS and PHI speaks for itself.
DD is a now executive who has proven he can win.He has immediately made every club he’s led better.
“made every club he’s led better”
Every GM job he’s taken on is a young team, with permission to spend and trade resources for immediate results. — Not that tough to get results.
Should be HOF Executive of Choosing Good Gigs.
@breslow
“Every GM job he’s taken on is a young team, with permission to spend and trade resources for immediate results. — Not that tough to get results.”
Yeah, no. It’s much harder than it looks. There are plenty of young teams with money that haven’t managed to break through and yet DD always seems to get to the final round. You don’t think Arte spends in Anaheim, or the Mariners are just choosing to not go to the World Series?
crise:
I dont think you know how DD operates.
“young teams with money”
What does that even mean? They’re not spending it on payroll. Both, Anaheim or the Mariners, have rarely been above the Top 15 in team payroll. I dont think DD was ever below the Top 5 in payroll when he was with the Red Sox or Phillies.
“trade resources”
During his Red Sox tenure, DD traded 31 prospects away over 4 seasons, while receiving very few back. Sorry, no GM with Angels or Mariners would ever do that. Both of those teams value prospects much more.
—
All you did was find 2 mid-market teams, who havent played well. They have very little in common with how DD runs a ballclub.
DD is in it for the quick run at a title, which is fun especially when it works, but when its over the team is wasteland.
@Breslow
No you’re missing my point. Saying anyone can do what DD has done repeatedly is not true. “Not that tough” is garbage because the number of teams that step up from Good to Great is very limited and he’s run way more than his share of them.
(BTW, Moreno purchased the Angels in 2003 when their payroll was #12. Between 2004 and 2023 they were only out of the top ten twice, when they slipped all the way to #11. In a third of those years he was top 5, in 11 of those 20 years he was top 6. Not midmarket.)
I know exactly how he works and it mostly comes down to weakening the future for a much brighter present. He trades away future players and he obligates the team to dumb long-term contracts that limit their freedom after he leaves.
I don’t necessarily like him any more than you do, but do not trivialize what he does. Flags fly forever and the guys that break thru in places like BOS and CHC are revered by many fans.
“Saying anyone can do what DD has done repeatedly is not true.”
I never said that, youre intentionally changing what I say, because Im 100% right.
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1) The rules have long changed since “2003”. I was never talking about the DD of 2003. GMs could get away with it back then. There are multiple punishments now. Draft Picks, International Bonus Money, etc.
2) Those Angels teams still NEVER ONCE in the past 10 years, spent anything close to DDs payrolls.
3) And you left my whole ‘trading away resources’ point. Because, again, the Mariners and Angels dont do it.
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You want a true Comp to what DD is doing: AJ Preller. Trading prospects for Sosa, Tatis, Miller, signing Bogaerts, Hosmer, etc.
And the Friars have had no problem putting winning teams on the field since 2020. Money + Exhausting Resources makes winning easier. And no Im not saying “anyone can do what DD has done”.
“Phi speaks for itself”..Except hes not going to win in philly..and has created a flawed rostor
so to make the case for how great DD is as a gm is that he built the farm systems in Montreal and Florida which was over 30 years ago. Not a good argument.
GaSox – Many people here have no clue that Dave rebuilt the Marlins farm system, and helped Duquette rebuild the Montreal farm system.
They think he’s good at building contenders only through free agency and trades.
If you’re a Sox fan, who would you rather have in their GM prime?
Dave Dombrowski
Craig Breslow
Theo Epstein
Chaim Bloom
Dick O’Connell
Veteran Team: Dombrowski
Young Team: Breslow or Epstein
Dombrowski immediately makes a team a better championship contender, but greatly shortens the window to win.
It’s Theo, then Dave, then nearly every other person in the world, then the last three
Carmen – I’m way too young to know O’Connell. LOL
Without question it’s Dave.
Craig and Chaim are/were clueless inexperienced rookies.
Theo was not running the show, he was being mentored by Lucchino and a superteam of executives.
O’Connell was good. They win in ‘67 with Tony C and they win in ‘75 with Jim Rice. Didn’t love some of his trades but those two teams were stacked with players that came through the system.
Theo of course. But I would take Dombrowski also.
theo and it’s not even close. Dumbo should be at the bottom of the list.
This is why I feel bad for DET and probably PHI. DD comes in and does what it takes to win. Usually you get at least one World Series title. The problem is there is usually a mess left when he is gone. The way PHI is going they are going to get the DET experience.
D D built the Phillies into a championship contender. They made the W S, in 2022, and should have returned in 2023 ( as a favorite), but Thomson is a very poor strategic manager. His decisions on removing starters, and bullpen usage, cost the Phillies games they could have/should have won. He refused to pinch hit in the 6th or 7th innings ( bases loaded), in crucial situations. He just isn’t smart enough tp make good in – game decisions on the fly. Thomson should have been fired after the 2023 series, he blew to the D – backs!!
BANG!!
He seemed happy after he got fired by the Red Sox, and based on him declining the Phillies’ manager job, it sounds like he wants a break from managing for a while.
I’m fine with that.
Sox gave Cora a gift! He gets paid the rest of his 7 million this year and another 7 million next year. He gets married in November this year and can vacation whenever he wants in PR. Cora is balling!
Why would he want the Philly job, they are a hot mess too!
It isn’t about the Phillies. Cora is temporarily “burnt out”. He needs to mentally relax, and almost certainly will be managing somewhere in 2027.
The Phillies are good enough to turn it around this year. The division, is probably out of play, but a wildcard is very possible. Thomson, had to go. Way too late, but at least he can’t do any more damage!!
Leave some more time to interact with his trash cans at home, Cheating POS
You gotta feel for Mattingly a little. His boss has publicly announced that he was absolutely the second choice. He is a very good manager that looked did the absolute best possible job in Miami with their payroll situation/
Mattingly is s pro and likely understood Cora was always DD’ first choice. He probably took the job believing if a change was made, he’d have another opportunity and now he has it.
dewey – I always said there had to be a reason why Don left a team that came within an out of a WS championship.
I knew when Don Mattingly took the job as Phillies bench coach, that D D, had his “immediate replacement”, already in the dugout. Thomson should have been fired after the Dodgers series, but was given a “last chance”, this year. Mattingly isn’t as good as Cora, but he is solid, which is a clear improvement over Thomson.
@deweybelongsinthehall Right on all counts!!
Mattingly won’t be the manager next year, doesn’t want to be. My prediction is Dombrowski won’t be here either.
It depends on how the Phillies season goes. Mattingly has his chance, and if the Phillies make the playoffs, and advance, he may get the full time job.
D D will be back next year, unless there is a total collapse. He is still one of the best G M’s in baseball, despite what some young Phillies fans seen to think!!
Don matttingly is cool with it. Dombro can do no wrong;he made son Preston mattingly gm and don mattingly gets to show his managerial skills for other teams or don mattingly could turn the Phillies around and be rewarded
Why would he? He’s making 7.25 doing nothing. Why is this a story? He’s sitting in Chicago watching his boyfriend play.
I wonder how Mattingly feels clearly being the 2nd choice…
Very happy that he got another opportunity.
casual – Ask Breslow how he felt being the 13th choice ;O)
Waiting to hear from Donnie Baseball’s.. son..( The GM on Cora being offered.. and turning down the job..)
( Won’t happen.. just wondering…)
West – Yeah it’s crazy how the GM position went from most powerful baseball ops person to a powerless Asst GM equivalent.
Wouldn’t be at all surprised if we never see him in a dugout again. He’s always had one eye shifted towards his Team Puerto Rico interests , and more broadly a front office position in general. Cora felt bored and irritated to be managing baseball games the last couple seasons.
Plus, for all of his positive attributes [and there are many – clearly a sharp baseball mind, great with the clubhouse and media], the stigma of his multiple politicking back office coup attempts in Boston, plus the stench of the cheater asterisk will always follow him. May not be worth it for a team looking for a leader.
Lunch – There’s always teams dumb enough to buy into the hype.
Remember, both Jimy & Grady got managerial jobs after getting canned by the Sox.
The mistake the Red Sox made is they re upped him. He wants to be in the front office and decided the talent on the field.
Don’t blame him. Most managers after fired need a moment, plus he is getting paid anyway. Wait until the paychecks run out. 😁
Well, he got a nice severance package and he can train for another marathon. Worked for me.
He’s being paid like 7 mil per year to sit at home. I’d be in no rush either lol. He has a young family and positions will open up .. heading into the summer, spend time with the kids with all that money lol
I didn’t think Don wanted to be a manager again, so I assume the call to Cora factored that in. If his son wasn’t the GM I don’t think he’s even on the staff tbh. Idk that Don wants to even go past this season as Manager so Cora is top of the list for the Phillies job next season.
Don Mattingly did want another shot at managing. That is why he took the bench coach job in Toronto. He knew as the Phillies bench coach, he was “next in line”, for at least the intrim manager’s job. No one could have anticipated Cora beimg fired, and available.
Wonder if while deciding to can Cora the explorer, John, Sam and Craig considered bringing in a seasoned manager .. say like Bobby Valentine….Stuff writes itself…lol… odds of picking a Kentucky Derby winner?? 10000-1 only slightly better than odds of the Rockies possibly have a better record at beginning of year than my beloved when I see them in June…
The cheater Cora should never have been allowed to return to baseball after 2017.
Does Cora cheat?