Phillies Could Make Stunning Manager Change After 78-51 Turnaround

Don Mattingly has done everything the Philadelphia Phillies could have asked of him since taking over as interim manager. 

According to new reporting, that might not be enough to keep his job.

FanSided's Robert Murray reported that the industry increasingly believes Alex Cora will end up managing the Phillies in 2027. 

"The industry believes it's a matter of time before it happens," Murray wrote, while noting the situation could still shift, particularly if Mattingly leads Philadelphia on a deep playoff run.

The Timing Just Got More Interesting

Murray's reporting points to league expectations that Cora's eventual decision would come down to either Philadelphia or the New York Mets. 

That changed Tuesday, when the Mets made Andy Green their permanent manager, removing him as Cora's fallback destination and potentially clearing a more direct path toward a reunion with Dombrowski in Philadelphia.

Dombrowski himself isn't rushing to close the book on the decision either way. Asked about Mattingly's future, Dombrowski said, "We have felt it is better to wait until our season is complete," adding that there's "not been" any further internal discussion about the role since the Mets and Red Sox both removed their own interim tags this week.

Philadelphia stumbled to a 9-19 start under Rob Thomson before his firing in late April, and the team has gone 78-51 under Mattingly since, a stretch that's pushed the Phillies right into playoff position. That kind of turnaround would typically be the strongest possible case for a manager to keep his job, not lose it.

The Cora Connection

Dombrowski actually offered Cora the Phillies job back in April, before Mattingly ever took over on an interim basis. 

Cora turned it down, wanting time away from the game after being fired by Boston, choosing instead to spend the rest of the year in Puerto Rico with his family. 

Dombrowski later admitted the offer was real. "I'd really come to the conclusion that, if he took it, I was going to make a change," Dombrowski said, referring to what would have happened with Thomson had Cora accepted at the time.

Dombrowski and Cora won the 2018 World Series as GM and manager with the Red Sox, going 108-54 in the regular season that year, and Dombrowski has since called Cora "one of the finest managers in the game," comparing him favorably to Hall of Famers Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa.