With a single tweet from Jeff Passan yesterday at 2:14 PM EST, the future of the Boston Red Sox got a whole lot brighter.
It was a foregone conclusion that Cora was headed for greener pastures after this season concluded. The manager who led the Red Sox to their most recent World Series title in 2018, who was then subsequently suspended by Major League Baseball for the 2020 season due to his involvement in the Astros #TrashCanGate scheme, had fully paid off his debt to the Sox organization by managing the team who brought him back after his suspension for four more years.
With two high-profile teams with sky-high expectations and deep pockets, the Yankees and the Dodgers, potentially having managerial openings after the World Series this year if they don’t win it all themselves, Alex Cora was the odds-on favorite to secure one of those openings should they pop up. After all, the Yankees and Dodgers would provide Cora with the two things the Red Sox seemingly wouldn’t, an opportunity to win now, and the resources and front-office commitment to winning year after year.
So, with just 61 games left in the 2024 regular season, and no tangible commitment from the Sox front office that they will invest in this team at the trade deadline next Wednesday, coupled with AC’s perceived ability to land any job he wants in the offseason, why would Cora sign an extension to stay in Boston?
I honestly don’t know. In fact, I figured he would leverage his free agent status at year’s end to get the front office to buy at the deadline if for no other reason than to keep him out of pinstripes or Dodger blue in 2025.
With that backstory in mind, I can’t help but assume John Henry and Co. have given Cora their word that they think this team is worth investing in NOW. And they 100% should. As I wrote in my Jarren Duran blog last week (admittedly before this 1-5 road trip), the young guys on the Major League roster are producing, and the key veterans are pulling their weight. For a front office that has preached patience and has outright stated that they will invest when the young guys show them that they are worth investing in, it sure feels like the time is now, and I have to believe they let Cora know this.
From Cora’s perspective, and assuming the Sox brass’ commitment to investing is true, the Red Sox job is actually pretty appealing moving forward. Here are a few reasons why.
First, their major league core is solid. Devers is, and Duran is quickly becoming, cornerstone pieces. Rafaella is already an elite defender and his bat is coming around in a way that every Sox fan had hoped it would. The group of David Hamilton, Wilyer Abreu, and Connor Wong have combined for a 5.5 WAR through 101 games this year, and Triston Casas is an elite young bat who will contribute upon his return.
The second reason is the big three prospects in the Red Sox farm system, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, catcher Kyle Teel, and outfielder Roman Anthony, who are all playing well in Double A. Sure, we all know prospects are just that…prospects, but with the development of their major league core, the Red Sox are no longer looking at their top three prospects as saviors. Now, they’re help.
The last reason is resources. John Henry has spent in the past and has signaled that he is willing to do so again when the Red Sox are in a position to win. With all of the cards Cora had in his hand, given his expiring contract and his status in the game, the only reason he’d be willing to sign an extension with the Sox mid-season is a real commitment from John Henry to invest in this team at the trade deadline and in offseason trades. When this ownership group is committed, there are none better in baseball, and when you give Alex Cora a good roster, there’s no better manager out there.
I’m choosing to believe these are the reasons Cora signed his extension and that this is just the beginning of a real resurgence from the Boston Red Sox.
