The Philadelphia Phillies are already looking ahead, and they have their sights set on a big-name manager for the 2027 season. According to a recent report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Phillies are "confident" that Alex Cora will be their guy once the 2026 season wraps up.

This comes after a rocky start to the 2026 campaign forced the Phillies to part ways with Rob Thomson, the skipper who took over mid-2022 and led the team all the way to the World Series. In the wake of Thomson's firing, the Phillies reportedly reached out to Cora—who had just been let go by the Boston Red Sox—but he turned them down. That led the club to bring in Don Mattingly as interim manager.

But the Phillies aren't giving up on Cora. Nightengale reports that the team believes Cora will be managing in Philadelphia by 2027, making him the most sought-after free-agent manager this winter. Cora's initial refusal was understandable—he was only days removed from his own firing in Boston—but a full offseason could change everything.

Mattingly is currently holding down the fort, but unless he orchestrates a miraculous World Series run, he's likely a placeholder. The Phillies' front office, led by Dave Dombrowski, sees Cora as the long-term answer. And with Dombrowski and Cora having a history together, a reunion in Philadelphia feels very much in play.

Of course, the Phillies aren't the only team interested. The struggling New York Mets and Houston Astros could also make a play for Cora this winter. But for now, all signs point to the City of Brotherly Love as the frontrunner to land one of baseball's most experienced and respected managers.