The Boston Red Sox are fresh off some big changes. Last week, they fired manager Alex Cora, as well as four other coaches. Triple-A manager Chad Tracy was promoted to succeed Cora on an interim basis.
Boston is 2-2 since the decision to fire Cora was made, still sitting in last place in the American League East with a 12-19 record on the season. That is the second worst mark in the entire American League.
Now, they will try to get back on track and back in the playoff race. However, according to Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive.com, chief baseball office Craig Breslow, president Sam Kennedy and principal owner John Henry were not the only ones that agreed on the course of action that was ultimately taken that day. Longtime executive Theo Epstein also played a key role.
“Discussions lasted throughout the day, with Breslow, Kennedy and Henry weighing their options. Also contributing to the discussions, some remotely, were team advisor/minority owner Theo Epstein, team chairman Tom Werner and Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon, according to sources.
“By the end of the day, the group had reached a consensus that a change was necessary. On Saturday morning, the trio of Henry, Kennedy and Breslow flew privately to Baltimore while the team prepared for a hastily-arranged noon start, made necessary by forecasts of heavy rain later in the afternoon. As Boston routed the Orioles, the decision-makers arrived at the team’s hotel, The Four Seasons Baltimore.”
Longtime Red Sox Executive Played Key Role in Alex Cora Decision
The Red Sox were off to a dreadful start. They actually beat the Baltimore Orioles by a final score of 17-1 the day Cora was fired. But it’s clear that the front office and ownership were completely in sync about the decision to fire Cora.
Epstein is now part of the Red Sox’s ownership group, but he was the general manager of the Red Sox from 2002-2011. He built two World Series championship teams, one of which Cora was a part of as a player in 2007.
So, Cora and Epstein obviously had a relationship with one another from their prior days in Boston, so the decision was likely hard for the organization to make.
However, Epstein is a prominent figure in Red Sox history, and even he believed that it was time for a change to be made. And so, changes were made, and the Red Sox are now going in a different direction.
Epstein’s Input is Important for Red Sox
Again, Epstein is an important person in the Red Sox organization, both today and historically. He was the one in charge when the Red Sox broke their curse in 2004, and he has been very influential for the organization.
Clearly though, the Red Sox valued his input, and he believed that there was cause for concern and that it was time to shake things up a little bit.
It will be interesting to see how Tracy fares as the club’s manager, but if Epstein was involved in the decision to fire Cora and promote Tracy, then it was very clearly a difficult decision.
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