The Philadelphia Phillies entered the offseason with one name in mind when it came to their manager vacancy. Alex Cora was almost a guarantee to be the skipper in Philadelphia for 2027. Things took a drastic swing late Tuesday night when Bob Nightengale reported that Cora will be taking the 2027 season off, leaving the Phillies without an obvious candidate.
Cora was first mentioned as a potential candidate for the Phillies managerial job in early 2026 when Rob Thomson was let go by Philadelphia. Dave Dombrowski even reached out to Cora to see if he was interested in the job before firing Thomson.
Cora ultimately rejected the offer, wanting to take a break from managing to spend time with his family. The Phillies ended up going with Don Mattingly as the interim manager for the remainder of the season.
Cora has a long-standing relationship with Dombrowski. He got his first shot at being a manager when Dombrowski brought him to Boston to manage the Red Sox. Cora eventually led the team to a World Series Championship in 2018.
The Phillies will now need to get creative and find their next manager. It seemed like an easy call to bring in Cora, but that’s now off the table. Dombrowski will have some work to do. Mattingly is currently under contract for 2027 as the team’s bench coach; it is not considered likely for him to return as manager. Here’s a look at some candidates who could manage the Phillies next season.
Brad Ausmus is currently the bench coach for the New York Yankees. He has a connection to Dombrowski from their time together in Detroit. Ausmus was hired as the Tigers manager by Dombrowski in 2014.
There wasn’t much success for Ausmus as a manager the first time around, but he has the connection with Dombrowski. He is certainly a name to monitor throughout the offseason search.
Howie Kendrick has been on the Phillies staff since 2020, serving as a special assistant to the general manager. He played in the MLB from 2006-2020, including a brief stint in Philadelphia during the 2017 season.
Kendrick has no prior experience as a manager but would be a fun candidate to promote from inside the organization. Another name to watch for an internal promotion would be pitching coach Caleb Cotham.
Raul Ibanez would be the perfect manager for the Phillies next season; it just isn’t very likely. He has had many opportunities to become a manager and has passed on all of them. It seems that he just doesn’t want to be an MLB manager.
Dombrowski still should reach out and gauge any interest Ibanez may have in managing the Phillies. If he wants to manage, Philadelphia is the perfect place. He spent three seasons with the Phillies, including an All-Star selection in 2009.
The Phillies and Dombrowski are now in a tough spot after the news that Cora will not be managing them next season. There are plenty of candidates to search through, but it’s Dombrowski’s job to find the perfect one. There can’t be many missteps when finding the right manager.
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