The fallout from the Boston Red Sox's firing of manager Alex Cora has lasted the full week, but the one thing that seems certain moving forward is that we won't see the skipper managing again in 2026.
After it was revealed on Tuesday that Cora turned down the chance to manage the Philadelphia Phillies, who fired manager Rob Thomson that same day, Jon Heyman of the New York Post also ruled out another potential destination: the New York Mets, whose manager Carlos Mendoza remained in his precarious position at the helm of a 10-21 team as of Friday.
"Alex Cora declined an offer to become the Phillies manager, and the Mets can also cross him off any current managerial list they may have," Heyman wrote Tuesday. "'I accepted to be a full-time dad,' Cora texted to The Post.
"Beyond being a great baseball man, he’s a family man, and Cora is happily taking the opportunity following his firing after seven-plus seasons with the Red Sox to spend the summer with his kids. He’s also planning a wedding for the offseason, yet another reason the timing isn’t great to start a new job this summer."
The Mets, Phillies, and Red Sox have been arguably the three most visible disappointments in Major League Baseball this season, and Cora being the first to be fired was likely a major upset. That Mendoza remains at his post might be a surprise in the context of Cora's and Thomson's firings, but those firings also took place unusually early in a baseball season.
Cora's choice to remove himself from the equation for at least the rest of the season provides clarity for now, while also setting up the possibility of a war over his services this winter between teams like the Mets and Phillies, if he throws his hat back into the ring (and Mendoza doesn't turn things around in New York.