Alex Cora Plans to Sit Out 2027 as Phillies Weigh Options

Alex Cora does not plan to manage in 2027 after telling Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski he intends to take the season off, according to a report by Bob Nightengale. The Phillies have not announced their next manager and are weighing whether to keep interim manager Don Mattingly or conduct a broader search, according to reports citing people familiar with the team’s deliberations. Cora’s decision leaves Philadelphia without a reported leading candidate who had been approached for the position. The former Boston Red Sox manager previously declined the Phillies’ offer after the team dismissed Rob Thomson early in the 2026 season. Nightengale’s report says Cora again declined the opportunity and told Dombrowski he plans to take 2027 off. The accounts of that conversation trace to Nightengale’s reporting; Cora and Dombrowski have not directly confirmed it in the material reviewed. The Phillies appointed Mattingly, previously the team’s bench coach, as interim manager after Thomson’s departure.