Dombrowski, Cora discussed Phils' manager job, but 'he wanted to be a father first and foremost'
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Alex Cora may manage again someday, but that day is not today.
After hiring Don Mattingly on an interim basis to replace Rob Thomson as the Phillies’ manager, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged Tuesday that he first tried to hire Cora to manage Philadelphia, but the former Red Sox skipper turned down the job.
Dombrowski and Cora previously worked together with the Red Sox, winning a World Series championship in 2018. The two spoke on Sunday morning – one day after Cora was let go by the Red Sox and two days before Dombrowski fired Thomson – but Cora informed Dombrowski that he wanted to spend time with his family rather than jump back into the dugout.
“We talked about potentially taking the job,” Dombrowski said. “I had told him I had really come to the conclusion at that point that if he took it, I was going to make a change. I thought that he might take it, but 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.”
Cora, who managed the Red Sox from 2018-19 and 2021-26, plans to prioritize being a full-time dad to his 8-year-old twin sons.
“It wasn’t because he was paid through the next year,” Dombrowski said. “He just felt at this point that he wanted to be a father first and foremost. That’s what he decided.”
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Dombrowski said he and Cora “never got down to the nuts and bolts of things” when it came to managing the Phillies. Cora actually reached out to Dombrowski Saturday night after he learned he was being let go by the Red Sox; by Sunday morning, Dombrowski floated the idea of him taking over in Philadelphia.
“I think Alex Cora is one of the finest managers in the game of baseball,” Dombrowski said. “I've been fortunate enough to work with Hall of Fame managers like Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland; I've been very fortunate in my career. I think if Alex Cora decides to keep managing, he has a chance to be in that same category. That's how good he is."
Cora was in the second season of a three-year, $21.75 million contract, so the Red Sox will be on the hook for the remainder of his salary if he doesn’t take another job. If Cora is hired by another club for the 2027 season, the Red Sox would have some of their financial obligation cut down.
For example, if a club hires him for $4 million per year – according to a source, a new club would have to pay him “fair-market value” and couldn’t simply pay him a small salary with the knowledge that Boston would be on the hook for the rest of the $7.25 million he’s owed – then the Red Sox would owe Cora only $3.25 million for 2027.
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Dombrowski was asked if people should assume that Cora would become the Phillies’ full-time manager after this season.
“No, you should not,” Dombrowski said.
Asked about the idea of Dombrowski talking to Cora before a change had been made, Thomson didn’t seem bothered by it.
“I don't really think too much of it,” Thomson said. “I think Dave's just doing his due diligence, and he had made up his mind and he was going to move forward. This guy's a Hall of Fame executive, so I think people need to trust him and he's going to do the right thing for the organization. Dave and I have a close relationship, but that doesn't stand in the way of him doing the right thing for the organization. I respect that.”