Alex Cora Addresses His MLB Managerial Future After Red Sox Firing, Phillies Rumors

After reportedly turning down two offers to become the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is still open to returning to the dugout in 2027.

Cora, who was fired by the Red Sox in April after a 10-17 start, told Rob Bradford on the Baseball isn't Boring podcast that he won't rule out a return to managing, but he won't officially commit to coming back next year.

"I don't know, man. We have to wait and see. We've still got one more year for that, which is great," Cora said, noting he's still getting paid by Boston through next season, per Justin Tasch of the New York Post . "If we decide as a family that's the route we want to take, we'll do it. It'd be cool to go through the process again, it'd be cool. It will help whoever — if I decide I want to go through the process and somebody gives us a chance to interview, it'd be good for them to hear it, how I see it, my values as a manager, understand everything that goes with it and go from there, and they make a decision."

He went on to add: "I'm not 100 percent sure I want to do it."

Tasch noted that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who had previously worked with Cora in Boston, offered him the managerial opening during the 2026 season, but Cora turned it down to spend time with his family. He turned down the job again after the 2026 campaign, and Philadelphia elevated interim manager Don Mattingly to the full-time position.

Cora told Bradford that he still talks to Dombrowski frequently, and he was one of the first people he spoke to after being fired in April.

"I've got to be very honest — obviously pride comes into play early on, but then when people that you really care (about) and you love, they fly into Boston and they slow things down, it's like, OK, we've got to make sure we do the right thing," Cora said of talking with Dombrowski in the aftermath of the firing. "You have to make sure you take care of your people. And I think the best thing for the Cora-Felicianos is this, is to stay away and, at that point, kind of regroup and enjoy."

Cora led the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018, so he will surely draw interest if he chooses to return to managing. For now, it sounds like he's content to take a wait-and-see approach before committing to a comeback.