The Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora on Saturday, and on Tuesday, he already had another job offer.
The Boston Red Sox made headlines on Saturday night when they did a spring cleaning of their major league coaching staff, firing manager Alex Cora, hitting coach Peter Fatse, gameplanning coordinator Jason Varitek, and several others. The move to part ways with Cora was met with immediate questions from both national reporters and former players. Now, more than 72 hours after his dismissal, Cora was reportedly offered a new managerial opportunity.
When Cora was fired by Boston on Saturday, many, like Nightengale, speculated that he could have a new job within the week if he so chose. Speculation ran rampant that either a pair of struggling National League East teams, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, who are tied for the worst record in baseball at 9-19, could look to replace their managers with Cora.
Philadelphia was seen as a logical landing spot for Cora, given his close relationship with Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, who held the same role in Boston when Cora was hired. On Tuesday morning, Philadelphia made the second in-season managerial change of 2026, announcing they have parted ways with Rob Thomson, paving the way for Cora and Dombrwski to reunite.
According to Nightengale, Dombrowski's first call was in fact to Cora, offering him the newly vacated position, but Cora declined. According to Nightengale, Cora will instead spend his newly found free time being a "full-time dad".
Throughout his time as Red Sox manager, Cora was very open about the strain the job placed on his family. Cora drew ire from local media in May of 2025 when it was announced that he would miss a regular-season matchup against the Mets to attend his daughter's graduation ceremony at Boston College. On numerous occasions, he would discuss the end of his managerial career, saying that when his twin sons, now nine years old, said they wanted him to be done, he would call it a career.
After Cora turned down his former boss, Philadelphia named their bench coach, and former big leaguer Don Mattingly, their interim manager. Mattingly's son, Preston, holds the title of general manager under Dombrowski.
Oct 18, 2018; Houston, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (left) and team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (middle) hoist the William Harridge Trophy in the clubhouse after defeating the Houston Astros game five of the 2018 ALCS playoff baseball series at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/Pool Photo via Imagn ImagesThe speculation will continue to run rampant in Philadelphia and Boston as the Phillies, like the Red Sox, will conduct a full managerial search at the conclusion of their seasons. It stands to reason that, once again, the job will be Cora's if he wants it.
For now though, Cora will collect the remainder of his $7+ million annually from his former employer, and focus on being a father.
The Red Sox have won two straight under interim manager Chad Tracy, and are now sitting at 12-17 and in last place in the American League East. They'll take on the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of a three-game series on Tuesday night. First pitch from Rogers Centre set for 7:07 p.m. ET.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!