Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski gets real on Alex Cora offer amid managerial opening

Story by

Benjamin Adducchio, ClutchPoints

Tue, Apr 28, 2026 ·

2 min read

Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski gets real on Alex Cora offer amid managerial opening appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday, following a tough start to the season. It was reported that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered the job to Alex Cora. Cora, who was fired by the Boston Red Sox recently, reportedly turned down the job.

Dombrowski is now opening up about how those conversations went.

“I talked to him on Sunday morning. We talked about potentially taking the job. I had told him I had really come to the conclusion that if he took it, I was going to make a change. I thought he might take it. 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, per MassLive.

The Phillies president has a long-standing relationship with Cora, dating back to the days when they were both in Boston.

“It wasn’t because of pay or because he’s paid through the next year. He just felt that he wanted, at this point, to be a father first and foremost. That’s what he had decided,” Dombrowski added.

Philadelphia’s interim manager is Don Mattingly . Mattingly takes over a struggling 9-19 team, with 11 losses in the last 12 games.

Alex Cora might be approached by the Phillies again

When the dust settles in the fall on the 2026 MLB season, it is believed that Cora could again be considered for the full-time position in Philadelphia.

“The connection between Cora and Dombrowski, however, may come to the forefront again if the Phillies find themselves in the market for a manager at season’s end. The former Red Sox skipper figures to be a popular candidate among clubs looking for managers, and Mattingly is not expected to be a long-term choice,” The Athletic reported Tuesday.

The outlet reported that Dombrowski’s pursuit of Cora was “intense.” Time will tell if the Phillies take another shot at him at the end of the 2026 season.

Mattingly begins his tenure managing the Phillies on Tuesday. Philadelphia starts a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants .