Phillies face manager, roster, and front-office decisions now
The Phillies’ offseason starts with three big questions: who manages, who stays, and what gets fixed in an offense that has to carry more weight. MLB.com reports Alex Cora is out of the manager mix, with Don Mattingly emerging again, while Alec Bohm’s free-agent market is now part of the roster picture. Sam Fuld also turned down the Athletics and will remain with the Phillies, which keeps one key front-office voice in place.
Manager search narrows
Per MLB.com, Alex Cora will not be the Phillies’ next manager. That leaves Don Mattingly looking like the leading name again after he has already been tied to the job before. The important part for the Phillies is that the answer at manager needs to come with a plan for a roster that just came up short again.
Sources: MLB.com
Offense has to be addressed
MLB.com says the Phillies are digging into their need to improve the offense after the postseason exit. That lines up with the fact that Kyle Schwarber is a finalist for the 2026 Hank Aaron Award, which says the middle of the order still produced, but the club has bigger questions about consistency around it.
Alec Bohm is also part of the conversation now that MLB.com is looking at his free agency. However that market develops, it matters because Philadelphia has to decide how much of the current core it can realistically keep together while trying to get more from the lineup.
Sources: MLB.com
Front office stability
One bit of continuity: The Athletic reports Sam Fuld turned down the Athletics and will remain with the Phillies. That keeps a key executive in house as the team works through an offseason that figures to touch both the dugout and the roster.
For fans, that means the early focus is less on one splash move and more on whether the Phillies can line up the right manager, preserve the right pieces, and fix the spots that showed up again in October.
Sources: The Athletic
Further reading
- Cora declines Phillies' overtures to be next manager (source) (MLB.com)
- Mattingly not ready to talk managing in '27, but Phillies' stars back skipper (MLB.com)
- Diving into Phillies' need to address offense after postseason exit (MLB.com)
- VOTE NOW: Schwarber named finalist for 2026 Hank Aaron Award (MLB.com)
- Where could Bohm land in free agency? (MLB.com)
- Sam Fuld turns down A’s front-office job offer, stays with Phillies - The Athletic (The Athletic)
Philly Sport Daily writes this brief each morning with the help of AI, working only from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Let us know @sport_philly.