Matt Johnson
The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Rob Thompson following a 9-19 start to the season, promoting Don Mattingly to take over as interim skipper. While the organization’s focus is now centered on the remainder of the season, there’s been lots of buzz about who will be the manager next season.
Matt Gelb and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported earlier this week that, days after being fired by the Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora turned down an opportunity to replace Thomson in Philadelphia.
Cora, age 50, is still owed the remainder of his contract by Boston. Accepting the opportunity to become the next Phillies manager would’ve resulted in the Red Sox being off the hook for paying him. As a result, Cora is taking the time off so his former employer keeps paying him.
Mattingly would seemingly be an option to retain the position next season with Philadelphia. After all, this same organization gave Thomson the full-time role after he posted a 65-46 record with 11 postseason wins as interim skipper during the 2022 MLB season.
However, Mattingly just turned 65 years old this past month and his previously stints as manager don’t suggest he’s a great long-term option. Since the Los Angeles Dodgers parted ways with him in 2025, Mattingly has posted a 447-587 (.432) record across 1,034 regular-season games entering May 2 and his clubs have never won 80 games in a year.
Who Will Be the Next Phillies Manager?
According to MLB insider Robert Murray, Cora “seems like the favorite” to take over as the Phillies manager following the 2026 season. He is taking the rest of this year off to spend time with his family, but a return to the dugout is expected following 2026.
It’s not hard to see why many around the league anticipate Cora being hired by Philadelphia. He has close ties with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who held the same title from 2015-’19 in Boston when Cora was the manager and they won a World Series title.
If Cora were to be hired, it seems likely that Mattingly would remain a member of the Phillies organization. His son, Preston Mattingly, was promoted by the club to general manager in November 2024.
In the event that Cora takes over as the Phillies manager next year, it’s probable that Dombrowski would sign off on him hiring many of the assistant coaches who were fired along with him by Boston.
