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).
