Alex Cora again turned down Dave Dombrowski. As a result, the Philadelphia Phillies’ manager situation remains in flux.
Cora turned down the opportunity to manage the Phillies for a second time this year on Tuesday, according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, also tried to woo Cora to Philadelphia in April after firing manager Rob Thomson.
Thomson was canned on April 28 after the Phillies got off to a 9-19 start and was replaced on an interim basis by bench coach Don Mattingly. Three days earlier, the Boston Red Sox fired Cora.
Dombrowski and Cora won the World Series together in 2018 with the Red Sox. However, Cora decided to take the rest of this season off to spend more time with his family and has decided not to manage again next season for the same reason. The Red Sox owe Cora $7.25 million in 2027 in the final year of a three-year, $21.75-million contract.
The Phillies rallied under Mattingly to finish 88-74 and reach the postseason for a fifth straight year. However, a 10-14 September left them waiting until the final day of the regular season to clinch a playoff berth. They then lost to the Atlanta Braves in last week’s NLWCS, setting up a future that doesn't look rosy.
Twice rejected by Cora, the Phillies need to turn to these potential candidates:
Don Mattingly
Granted, the Phillies struggled late in the season, and that doesn’t help Mattingly’s case. However, the Phillies turned their season around once Mattingly took over as manager and went 79-55 under him.
When I caught up with Mattingly in May, I was surprised by how rejuvenated he was, especially since he leaned toward retirement last season while serving as the Toronto Blue Jays’ bench coach.
Mattingly also has a human element. Preston Mattingly, his son, is the Phillies’ general manager, and it would seem heartless to play a role in moving on from your father.
Brad Ausmus
Dombrowski is very familiar with Ausmus, as he hired him as the Detroit Tigers’ manager after Hall of Famer Jim Leyland retired at the end of the 2013 season. The Tigers went 314-332 in four seasons under Ausmus, who also went 72-90 in his one year as the Los Angeles Angels’ skipper in 2019.
Ausmus is a bright guy and an astute baseball man. It seems certain that Dombrowski will at least talk to Ausmus about the job following Cora’s second rebuff.
Rocco Baldelli
Baldelli is a special assistant with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Minnesota Twins fired him as their manager at the end of last season. Baldelli had a 527-502 record over seven seasons and won three American League Central titles.
Baldelli reminds me a lot of Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona, who will likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame if he ever retires.
Quentin Berry
The Milwaukee Brewers third base coach is rapidly establishing a reputation as one of the game’s bright young minds. Berry communicates well, is considered an outstanding teacher, and has Zen-like qualities,
However, it is questionable if Dombrowski would be willing to hand over the reins of a veteran team to a 41-year-old first-year manager.
Chase Utley
Utley is also a special assistant with the Dodgers but a legend in Philadelphia. He was the heart of the Phillies as their star second baseman when they won five consecutive NL East titles from 2007-11.
Utley has no managerial experience at any level. However, he is on a trajectory to be voted into the Hall of Fame, perhaps as soon as January.
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