The Philadelphia Phillies fired Rob Thomson in April and turned to Don Mattingly to take over as the interim manager.
After a 9-19 start, the Phillies have gone 41-21 with Mattingly. The Phillies had the luxury of having Mattingly, a veteran manager with a Manager of the Year Award, ready to take over, but he was not their first choice. They reportedly asked Alex Cora, who was fired by the Boston Red Sox this season, to take over for Thomson.
Cora turned down the offer to replace Thomson in the middle of the season, but he should have no trouble landing a job if he wants one next season. Philadelphia could still be an option for him, but other teams with a managerial need will surely reach out to him as well.
"While the New York Mets would love to hire Alex Cora as their next manager, Cora still is expected to join the Phillies after rejecting their offer to replace Rob Thomson, who the club fired on April 28," MLB insider Bob Nightengale wrote on Sunday.
Cora has a relationship with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski from their time together in Boston. Dombrowski hired Cora in 2018 and watched him lead the Red Sox to their ninth World Series championship. It would make sense that the Phillies would be the favorite to land Cora, but Mattingly is also making a strong case for the job, if he wants it.
Mattingly, 65, has a 446-363 record as a manager and has made the postseason four times as a manager. However, it is unclear if he is interested in managing long-term anymore.