Red Sox Former Manager Alex Cora Breaks Silence On Rejecting Phillies

“We talked about potentially taking the job,” Dombrowski told reporters of a conversation he had with Cora on Sunday, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. “I had told him I had really come to the conclusion at that point that if he took it, I was going to make a change. I thought that he might take it, but as time went on over the next day into Monday morning, it was apparent from his perspective that he wanted to take time with his family.”

Dombrowski hired Cora while he worked in the Red Sox front office and he led the team to a World Series championship in the next season. In breaking his own silence about rejecting the Phillies’ job offer, Cora confirmed the explanation that Dombrowski offered to reporters on Tuesday.

“I accepted to be a full-time dad,” Cora texted the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, regarding his decision not to become the Phillies’ new skipper this season.

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However, Cora might be more open to taking a new full-time job before the start of next season. By waiting out the rest of this campaign, he can enjoy time with his family, reset after some tumultuous weeks in Boston and possibly assess some more available options.

It seems likely that the Phillies will still be interested in replacing Mattingly after this season and the chance to reunite with Dombrowski could entice Cora in a few months. But if the Phillies are unable to turn their season around, they might not look like a very appealing option.

“If their stars begin performing closer to their career levels, not an unreasonable expectation, they might again factor into the playoff picture,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote of the Phillies. “If not? Then this season could mark the beginning of the end of one of the great eras in franchise history. And Cora, when evaluating his options, might think twice about joining a team that isn’t what it was, and might not reach that level again.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com