Matching Alex Cora, Albert Pujols and the best manager candidates to MLB teams that need them

Those who love a good coaching carousel got bad news this week, with the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox respectively giving the full-time managerial jobs to interim skippers Andy Green and Chad Tracy.

Entering Wednesday, the Phillies are the only team that technically still has a vacancy; Don Mattingly has been the interim manager since April and that tag has yet to be removed, despite his public interest in returning next season. He’s more than done enough to earn the job, even as rumors mount about Albert Pujols or Alex Cora finding themselves on a big-league bench next year.

For this list, we’ve identified four teams that could join the Phillies in seeking new managers this coming offseason. Given the pending ownership sale in Anaheim, we’ve elected to omit the Angels; Kurt Suzuki is only on a one-year deal, but it remains unclear whether interim general manager John Mozeliak will receive the title.

Although Mozeliak and Pujols have a longstanding relationship dating back to their time together in St. Louis, we have a better destination for the future Hall of Famer. 

Albert Pujols: Houston Astros

Pujols has been repeatedly floated as a possibility for the Angels, though we’re hesitant they’d go that route now. The safer play is to offer Suzuki another one-year contract and play things by ear. Then, they can revisit hiring the three-time MVP, who played in Anaheim from 2012-21 and has a personal services contract with the club. 

Luckily for Pujols, that contract wouldn’t keep him from potentially succeeding Joe Espada in Houston. It’d be hard to fault Jim Crane if he wanted to make a big-name hire, especially after general manager Dane Brown’s departure. 

The Astros might be headed for a transitional period, so there’s certainly risk in hiring Pujols. Then again, Crane and Pujols both saw the Angels flounder while hiring experienced managers. And we get the sense that Astros fans might feel that the Cardinals legend owes them.

Alex Cora: Philadelphia Phillies

Cora also fits the Astros, though his involvement in the sign-stealing scandal might turn heads for the wrong reasons. But seeing as Carlos Beltrán just entered the Hall of Fame and had his number retired in New York, would Cora potentially returning to Houston really matter?

Either way, he’s been linked to the Phillies for months, and it’s telling that ownership still hasn’t confirmed whether Mattingly will manage the team in 2027. This might be an instance where the job already belongs to Cora if he wants it. 

Brandon Hyde: Seattle Mariners

We’ve had a few different suggestions for the Mariners of late, including a reunion with Bob Melvin. But given that Melvin turns 65 in October and spent this year out of baseball, we’re moving in another direction. Hyde was far better in Baltimore than he’ll ever get credit for, especially considering the state of the roster he inherited in 2019. Need we say anything more than referencing Chris Davis?

Hyde has spent this year in the Rays’ front office, and there haven’t been any credible reports about him preferring to stay in an off-field capacity. Keep your eyes on Seattle, assuming that the Mariners indeed fire Dan Wilson. 

Joe Espada: Athletics

Now this would be interesting. The Athletics are revamping their front office, and they’ve already lost their most games since 2023. For his sanity, Mark Kotsay might want to submit his resignation papers immediately after Sunday’s finale with the Astros. 

Now put yourself in John Fisher’s shoes. What better way to excite those in Las Vegas than by selling them on a former Astros manager and assistant? Never mind the fact that Espada hasn’t won a playoff game over his three seasons in Houston and could very well miss the postseason again in 2026. 

But with how badly Fisher has handled both the relocations to Las Vegas and Sacramento, a potential pivot immediately to Espada makes all too much sense — for ​​him personally, at least. 

Rocco Baldelli: Arizona Diamondbacks

Shocker. We’ve frequently suggested Baldelli as an ideal fit for the Diamondbacks, who haven’t publicly committed to Torey Lovullo returning for the 2027 season. Considering that Arizona has reached the playoffs only twice in Lovullo’s 10 years, it’d be difficult to justify bringing him back.

Baldelli did an excellent job in Minnesota, and he deserves immense credit for constantly keeping them in playoff contention despite inconsistent payrolls. The only problem: Baldelli — and any other potential candidate — would be interviewing knowing they’d need to deal with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers. 

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