After dropping another series this past weekend, the Philadelphia Phillies will benefit from a much-needed day off on Monday. Sitting at 9-19 and clearly struggling, the team may be on the verge of making some changes.
Heading into the season, the Phillies were widely viewed as a contender for the title once again. Philadelphia has been in the playoff mix for several years running, and the current expectation remains winning. However, the team didn’t do much to improve over the offseason, and they’ve stumbled badly out of the gate. At ten games below .500, there’s little that’s gone right for them so far.
Among their various issues, the offense has been the biggest drag on the team. Despite featuring several big names and former All-Stars, this unit hasn’t delivered and is off to a historically poor start.
While the Phillies have gotten off to a terrible start, they aren’t the only high-expectation team struggling. The Boston Red Sox have also had a rough beginning to the season, leading to their coach’s dismissal. Philadelphia could soon find itself in a similar situation. Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report recently suggested the Phillies as a potential destination for the newly fired Alex Cora.
Cora Linked to Philadelphia Makes Sense
It was surprising to see Cora let go by the Red Sox, and he’s now expected to be one of the top coaching names available. Given his past connection with Dave Dombrowski in Boston, rumors are bound to swirl while the Phillies continue to struggle.
Though Rob Thomson has secured plenty of wins during his time in Philadelphia, his seat is undoubtedly heating up amid the slow start. Even after snapping their losing streak over the weekend, the Phillies still lost two of three to the Atlanta Braves. With an off day followed by a home series against the San Francisco Giants, it feels like a must-win stretch. If the team doesn’t turn things around quickly, Thomson’s firing wouldn’t come as a surprise—and if that happens, Cora would make a lot of sense for the organization.
