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Just days after being fired by the Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora was reportedly offered a chance to take over as the Philadelphia Phillies. It looks like he’ll have even more job offers this winter.

USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale reported over the weekend that in addition to the Phillies, Cora is “expected to be wooed” by both the Houston Astros and New York Mets.

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Cora turned down the opportunity with Philadelphia in April and opted to forgo the remainder of the 2026 MLB season to spend time with his family. However, he is widely expected to return to the dugout in 2027.

While the Astros (Joe Espada) and Mets (Carlos Mendoza) have publicly stuck to their managers, change is expected. Espada is in danger of being fired during the season and Mendoza’s future in New York is tenuous.

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Cora, age 50, is a three-time World Series champion who has played a role in title wins as both a manager and bench coach. He is well-liked by the players and appears to be an ideal fit for an older team with experienced players looking to win a championship.

Why are the Phillies favored to hire Alex Cora?

While Mets owner Steve Cohen could offer Cora a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid managers in MLB next season, Philadelphia may be in a better position to give him the job.

Given Cora’s experience in Boston, where chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had extensive influence over the organization, his relationship with his next boss will be important. In Philadelphia, he will have the opportunity to reunite with Dave Dombrowski.

It is worth noting that Cora had worked in the Astros organization for some time, but that was only for the 2017 season as a bench coach. Most of his experience came in Boston, many of which were years when Dombrowski worked in the Red Sox front office.

As Phillies manager, Cora would have the support of a president of baseball operations he trusts and ownership that is willing to spend on a winner. Ultimately, it would be surprising if Cora is not hired by Philadelphia this winter.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Rob Thompson after a 9–19 start to the season, and promoted Don Mattingly to interim captain. While the organization’s focus is now focused on the remainder of the season, there is much discussion as to who will be the manager next season.

The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that, days after being fired by the Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora had turned down the opportunity to replace Thomson in Philadelphia.

Cora, age 50, still has the remainder of his contract with Boston. Accepting the opportunity to become the next manager of the Phillies would result in the Red Sox losing out on paying him. As a result, Cora is taking leave so that her former employer can continue paying her.

Mattingly appears to be an option to retain the position with Philadelphia next season. Ultimately, the same organization offered Thomson a full-time role as interim captain during the 2022 MLB season after posting a 65-46 record with 11 postseason wins.

However, Mattingly just turned 65 last month and his past tenure as manager doesn’t suggest he’s a great long-term option. Since the Los Angeles Dodgers parted ways with him in 2025, Mattingly has compiled a record of 447–587 (.432) in 1034 regular season games beginning on May 2, and his clubs have never won 80 games in a year.

Who will be the next manager of the Phillies?

According to MLB insider Robert Murray, Cora “seems to be the favorite” to take over as Phillies manager after the 2026 season. He is taking the rest of this year off to spend time with his family, but hopes to return to the dugout after 2026.

It’s not hard to see why many around the league expect Cora to be hired by Philadelphia. He has a close relationship with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who held the same title in Boston from 2015-’19, when Cora was manager and won a World Series title.

If Cora were hired, it seems likely that Mattingly would remain a member of the Phillies organization. His son, Preston Mattingly, was promoted to general manager by the club in November 2024.

In the event that Cora takes over as Phillies manager next year, it is possible that Dombrowski would sign off on hiring many of the assistant coaches that Boston fired with him.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Highlighted by Bam Adebaya’s 83-point loss on the Washington Wizards the night before and Max Crosby’s trade from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens, the Philadelphia 76ers had a very exciting turn of events with none other than the recently added Cam Payne leading the team to a 139-129 win over the Minnesota Grizzlies.

Now granted, the Grizzlies are a 23-win team and didn’t play their only remaining Big 3 star, Ja Morant, against Nick Nurse’s team, but in this day and age, any 76ers win is tough to come by, especially in a game without Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey.

Fortunately, VJ Edgecombe was able to return from the injury suffered against Spurs earlier this month and he started the game alongside Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre, Adem Bona and Dominic Barlow and played 35 minutes in their victorious return.

After seeing the 76ers struggle to get much production from their non-star starters for most of the season, four of Philadelphia’s starters scored in double figures, with Barlow leading all starters with 11, Edgecombe with 21, Grimes with 23 and Oubre with 30 points. However, Oubre didn’t lead all 76ers in points, as in an absolute heater of a performance, Payne went on a nuclear attack off the bench, scoring 32 points in 30 minutes, while making all eight of his 3 pointers, all six of his free throws, and nine of his 10 shots from the field on his way to 30 apiece.

And the best part? Payne was not only slinging the ball, but sharing the love with his teammates, spending 10 dimes to record a double-double at +/= of +22.

Have the 76ers finally found a more team-friendly offensive approach where everyone eats? Does Maxi really bounce the ball that much, as many of his haters have claimed? After all, Payne isn’t going to do it shoot 8-8 from beyond the arc Every game, so it’s hard to say, but in this game, he certainly looked impressive, and was the kind of microwave bench scorer who can give the 76ers buckets with Jabari Walker in reserve.

Cam Payne can’t be stopped😤

8 out of 8 32 points on 3pts!

pic.twitter.com/IlStSGF3G1

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 11 March 2026