Initial Reactions to the Boston Red Sox firing manager Alex Cora.
- Om Brown
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
First reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Boston Red Sox fired longtime manager Alex Cora Saturday evening. Promoted to interim manager for the big club is Triple-A Worcester manager, Chad Tracy. This was President of Baseball Operations, Craig Breslow’s, call. Let’s dive into another head-scratching move in BresBot’s pathetic tenure.
Initial Thoughts:
I’ve never been a huge Alex Cora fan. He isn’t a top tier manager like some people proclaim him to be. In 7 full seasons at the helm, Cora led the team to the postseason 3 times and won the division only once. Yes, he led the Sox to a World Series title in 2018, his first season as a manager, but that squad was the greatest Red Sox team of all time. I have a hard time believing that he is the sole reason why they did so well that season.
Despite this, Cora is a good manager. He should land another job with a contender next season. He was great with young guys, international players, and veterans. He is a well-respected figure who had a solid playing career and knows what it's like to be a player. The team's struggles this season were not his fault. The roster was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole, and Breslow literally admitted this. He is such a joke of an executive. Check this out:
Hey, Craig; I think it's your job to build a roster that isn't hard for your manager to manage, you imbecile!
I think Breslow knows that the players and ownership are losing faith in him and his philosophy (at least I hope so) and that this was a move to save himself and get one last shot at maintaining power within the team. I have a good feeling that if the Sox struggle the rest of the way, then BresBot is out as GM.
Digested Thoughts:
After digesting the news for a day, I think that this move does very little for anyone. In fact, it makes the team so much worse. For Breslow, it shows cracks in his philosophy, especially after the team somehow made the postseason after trading Rafael Devers last June. Breslow had a horrible offseason and failed to acquire a true impact player. He then turned to try build the team’s identity around pitching and defense, and that turned out to be a massive flop.
For the players on the team, it creates a divide from the front office and ownership. Breslow wants a “yes-man” to do all his bidding and it's clear that Cora was not that guy. The team lacks direction after a postseason run just last year. Their farm system is worse this year compared to last since the key players brought in this winter were from trades not free agency. It'll be a rough 2026 in Boston, and I would expect the veteran leaders like Trevor Story, Arolidis Chapman, and Sonny Gray to get shipped off at the trade deadline.
Final Thoughts:
Craig Breslow has ruined the future of Boston baseball. I've been saying this since the Devers trade. I had some hope this season, mostly because I thought Cora could do a good enough job with the roster to keep them in contention by the trade deadline, but it is clear that Breslow has other ideas.
I hope he gets fired at the end of the season and that he never gets a job in baseball ever again. However, he is the perfect scapegoat for the disinterested owner, John Henry, so he may keep his job for just a little bit longer. Henry is fine with mediocrity now as long as the team makes money. Firing Breslow would likely help the situation, but the Red Sox won’t truly be good again until Henry sells the team.
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