It didn't take long for the Boston Red Sox to move on from the Alex Cora era. Chad Tracy came into the picture and turned what looked like a hopeless team around, quickly pushing Cora and six other fired coaches from Sox fans' thoughts.
But Cora is still one of the most coveted managers in the game and he's already had at least one team approach him with a job opportunity. Shortly after Cora was fired in Boston, the Philadelphia Phillies followed in its footsteps and dismissed their longtime skipper, Rob Thomson. The Phillies, led by Dave Dombrowski, quickly asked Cora to take over as their manager, a job he declined.
According to an October 6 report from MLB insider Bob Nightengale (later confirmed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive), Cora has declined the Phillies job again. He prefers to take the year off, which makes sense because he's still being paid by the Red Sox. Next year is the last of the three-year contract he signed in the middle of the 2024 season (subscription required).
The Red Sox removed the "interim" tag Tracy carried for much of the season and will not be joining the Phillies on the hunt for a new manager. There are quite a few skipper options out there, but none of them are great — Cora's denial throws the Phillies into a tough spot.
Former Red Sox skipper Alex Cora declines Phillies managerial job again, leaving them with few good options
There are a few veteran managerial candidates on the market before the 2027 season. Torey Lovullo has already reunited with the Arizona Diamondbacks, removing one of the top choices. David Ross, Brandon Hyde, Rocco Baldelli, Dave Martinez, David Bell, Scott Servais and more are on the market, but none have the same popularity and pedigree that Cora does (subscription required). Philly could go for a retired former player as their manager, like Carlos Beltrán or Albert Pujols, but they have no major league managerial experience.
Some of the choices Tracy made in the Wild Card series made the Red Sox's decision to sign him look premature. But the other skipper options are hardly encouraging given where the Red Sox are in their competitive window. Lovullo might've been an option for Boston given his Red Sox connections, but the Diamondbacks (wisely) pulled him off the market quickly.
Tracy has preexisting relationships with many Red Sox players and players in the upper levels of their farm system. That alone gives him a leg up on the competition in this year's managerial pool.
The Phillies were in "win now" mode going into this season. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner are all 33 and Zack Wheeler is 36. Their championship window is closing and Cora would've been their best choice in the dugout. Instead, he'll take another year off to be with his family, leaving the Phillies without an easy pick for their managerial vacancy.
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