Mookie Betts responded Wednesday after Alex Cora was fired, delivering a blunt reaction when asked directly. Betts, the last Red Sox player to win an MVP award, gave his reaction to the firing of Red Sox manager Cora, who was Betts’ manager during his MVP year of 2018.
The Boston Red Sox fired Cora on Saturday, after the team started the season with a 10-17 record despite a reported $267 million payroll. Five members of the Red Sox coaching staff were fired along with Cora.
Bettsâ response also contrasted sharply with earlier praise he gave Cora in a resurfaced interview.
Cora’s first season with the Red Sox, and as a major league manager, was 2018. In that year, with Betts blasting 32 home runs with an OPS of 1.078 â still Betts’ career high â Cora managed the Red Sox to a franchise record 108 wins and a World Series championship.
But 2019 did not go quite as well for Cora with the Red Sox sinking to 84 wins and completely missing the playoffs. Betts’ own production also fell, though his statistics remained elite with 29 home runs and a .915 OPS.
With Betts one season away from free agency, the Red Sox acted before the 2020 season. They traded Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster deal that also sent veteran left-hander David Price to Los Angeles, bringing three top prospects to Boston.
But of those three, only catcher Connor Wong has stuck with the Red Sox.
When Betts was asked for his reaction to the sudden firing of his manager for the final two seasons of his Red Sox career, Betts was painfully honest.
Betts Doesn’t Want to Talk About Cora
Betts has since gone on to win three more World Series titles with the Dodgers but has also suffered repeated injuries. This year, he played in just eight games before an oblique injury that has sidelined him ever since.
He apparently, however, has little if any nostalgia for his time with the Red Sox. As quoted by David Vassegh of 570 Sports Radio on Los Angeles, Betts was asked for his reaction Wednesday to the firing of his former manager, Cora. The 33-year-old veteran did not want to talk about it.
âThat ainât got nothing to do with me and I stay out of that,â Betts said, Vassegh reported. Betts also said that he had not spoken to Cora since the firing, and by the tone of his response, appeared to have no intention to do so.
Nonetheless, shortly after his firing, Cora posted a video of Betts in an earlier podcast interview with former NBA player Matt Barnes. In the video, Betts says that he enjoys watching the Red Sox play, “because of Alex Cora. I love Alex Cora.”
But when asked directly, Betts was not willing to repeat that endorsement after the Red Sox fired Cora.
Betts Suffers Injury Recovery Setback
Betts has his own issues to be concerned about. According to a report by Dodgers Nation, after Betts resumed baseball activities in his rehab from the oblique injury, he suffered a new setback.
“Betts felt some soreness after he began taking batting practice on the field, so the Dodgers temporarily slowed his program,” the Dodgers Nation report said. “On the bright side, Betts said he has ‘turned a corner’ in his recovery and believes heâs ready for on-field BP once again.”
Cora has said that he does not plan to manage again this season, but most baseball insiders expect that the 50-year-old manager will field several offers to return to MLB before the 2027 season.
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