Puerto Rican baseball manager Alex Cora has rejected an offer from the Philadelphia Phillies for the second time, according to USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale. Cora, who was fired by the Boston Red Sox at the start of the regular season, reportedly wants to take 2027 off to rest. He is still under a guaranteed contract with the Red Sox, which he signed in 2024 for over $21 million and three seasons, making him the third-highest paid manager in baseball.
The contract expires after the 2027 season. The Phillies had offered Cora the job after firing their manager Rob Thomson on April 28, but Cora declined. The team then named Don Mattingly as interim manager, who led the team to the playoffs but was eliminated in the wild card series.
Cora’s decision to reject the offer is his second, with the first being just days after his firing from the Red Sox. The Phillies’ president of operations, Dave Dombrowski, had previously worked with Cora in Boston and had reportedly offered him the job a day after his firing.