Despite a blowout win earlier in the day, the disappointing Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and most of his coaching staff Saturday evening. The Red Sox are currently in the AL East cellar at 10-17. Even with Saturday’s 17-run outburst, their offense ranks 23rd in baseball with 4.15 runs per game. The pitching staff’s 4.44 ERA hasn’t helped matters either.
“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.
“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.” Â Â
Cora, 50, went 620-541 (.534) in parts of eight seasons with the Red Sox and guided the team to the 2018 World Series title. He also had two last-place finishes and missed the postseason four times. That’s not all on the manager, though it is part of Cora’s legacy in Boston. It’s a complicated legacy too, given his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Within baseball, Cora is very highly regarded for his baseball smarts and people skills. The question is not will he work in baseball again, but when it’ll happen, and in what capacity. Here, in no particular order, are six possibilities for Cora’s next destination.
1. The Phillies
The Phillies snapped their 10-game losing streak Saturday, but still have baseball’s worst record (9-18) and run differential (minus-50). This is a older win-now team that isn’t doing much winning. In other words, they’re exactly the kind of team that changes managers in-season. POBO Dave Dombrowski originally hired Cora to manage the Red Sox in October 2017 and the two are said to have a good relationship. If Philadelphia cuts ties with manager Rob Thomson, the Cora rumors will begin immediately, and they will be loud.Â
2. The Mets
The recent 12-game losing streak has the Mets just ahead the Phillies at 9-17 with a minus-25 run differential. Manager Carlos Mendoza is presumably on even shakier ground than Thomson, seeing how he’s in the final year of his contract and the Mets collapsed out of a postseason spot last year. New York’s brain trust insists the Mets are sticking with Mendoza, but if they don’t start stacking wins soon, eventually something will have to give. Cora would be the adult in the room for a team that has too often had clubhouse issues and come off as amateurish.
3. The Astros
Perhaps the sign-stealing wounds are still too fresh to bring back Cora, who served as the team’s bench coach in 2017 and was later suspended for being a key figure in the so-called banging scheme. The Astros have the AL’s worst record, though (10-18), and manager Joe Espada is in the final year of his contract. So too is GM Dana Brown. With the team struggling, could Brown replace Espada with Cora in an effort to save his own job? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time something like that has happened in baseball history.
4. Join a front office
Cora has never worked in an MLB front office, though he did serve as general manager of Puerto Rico’s 2017 World Baseball Classic team. He also spent five years as general manager of Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League. The belief is Cora would do well in a special advisor role. One potential issue here is, if a team does add Cora to their front office, their current manager would have to hear rumors and answer questions about Cora being the manager-in-waiting, and that’s not fair. A team with a bulletproof manager who wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder would make the most sense for Cora as a front office addition.
5. Television
Between his playing career and coaching career, Cora spent four years as a studio and color analyst for ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Cora could take a step back after close to a decade of the grind of being an MLB manager and return to television work. I reckon more than a few networks would be happy to bring him in should ESPN not inquire about a reunion.
6. Do nothing
Doing nothing is always an option and, in Cora’s case, it might be a pretty good one. The Red Sox owe him more than $13 million through the end of the 2027 season. Cora has paychecks coming in and doesn’t have to rush to find a job. He can take a step back and spend time with his family after spending so many summers on the road. He sent out a 4 a.m. tweet saying he’s “happy” just a few hours after losing his job.
Cora’s a baseball rat, and I suspect it won’t be long before he begins to miss the game and seeks gainful employment in baseball. Right now though, the man is getting paid to hang out at home. That’s the dream.
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