Phillies predicted to replace Rob Thomson with World Series champion tied to Dave Dombrowski originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a very slow start, sitting among the worst teams in baseball. This is not how the club envisioned beginning the season just one month in. Due to the sluggish start, the Phillies have already made a major change, firing manager Rob Thomson.

“There’s a major shakeup in Philadelphia. The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday morning. Don Mattingly is the interim skipper, with the team’s press release saying he’ll hold that position for the remainder of the 2026 season,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco wrote.

The Phillies have moved forward with Don Mattingly as interim manager, but before that decision, the organization reportedly reached out to another high-profile candidate. Phillies president of baseball operations extended the opportunity to recently fired Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

“Alex Cora was offered the Philadelphia Phillies' managerial job before Don Mattingly, but declined. He has decided to spend time with his family,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale posted.

At first glance, the move appeared to be a reach, but Cora’s ties to Dave Dombrowski trace back to their time together in Boston. Even though he declined the offer for now, there is no clear indication he would do so again after the season concludes.

“If you've got a World Series ring, you immediately jump to the top of any list like this. That Cora won that ring with the Red Sox in 2018, when current Phillies boss Dave Dombrowski was Boston's president of baseball operations, only adds more fuel to the fire here,” “It's clear that Dombrowski still thinks highly of Cora, and presumably the feeling is mutual. Cora had no reason to accept the offer in the middle of a dysfunctional season, but when the dust settles this winter — you know, assuming Dombrowski is still around by then — he figures to be No. 1 on the wish list.”