The Boston Red Sox are off to a rough start this season. At 9-14, they sit in last place in the American League East and are slowly slipping in the standings. They are only five games back of first place in the division, but that could change quickly with the New York Yankees starting to play better baseball.
When teams struggle, speculation begins to heat up about the manager potentially being on the hot seat. The Red Sox extended Alex Cora during the 2024 season, and he is currently in the second year of that contract extension.
While there has been some speculation about a possible firing due to Boston’s struggles, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic nipped that in the bud pretty quickly.
“An early move with Alex Cora, who is in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract, seems unlikely,” Rosenthal reported earlier this week.
Red Sox ‘Unlikely’ to Fire Alex Cora
While it makes sense that there would be some speculation regarding a possible firing while the Red Sox are struggling, doing so right now may not be the best idea. The roster is in shambles, and Cora can only do so much with what he is given to work with.
The Red Sox failed to keep Alex Bregman, who ultimately left for the Chicago Cubs. Cora also guided the Red Sox to their 2018 World Series title, and Boston has been to the postseason twice more in his tenure, so giving up on him now, especially after last year’s playoff appearance, wouldn’t make much sense.
But the manager often gets blamed first when a team is struggling as badly as the Red Sox are right now, and some fans may be directing their ire towards Cora.
Still, Rosenthal made clear that the Red Sox are not planning on discarding Cora anytime soon. They don’t view him as the problem and aren’t going to scapegoat him.
Other managers may not be so lucky, but because of Cora’s contract status, the Red Sox likely feel as though firing him will not solve their problems. There is still talent on the Red Sox roster and time for them to turn things around. Cora has been able to find success in the past, so there isn’t any reason for Boston to hit the panic button about him. Other aspects of the club appear to be bigger problems for Boston as the season progresses.
Cora Not the Problem in Boston
In truth, Cora isn’t the main problem in Boston. He can only make the most out of what he has to work with. The problem is the roster construction of the Red Sox. Not replacing Bregman clearly has hurt them, as Caleb Durbin has struggled out of the gate.
The team doesn’t have a true centerpiece to build around right now. If they had kept Bregman, they would at least have that piece to focus on in the future. Roman Anthony could be the next man up, but the loss of Bregman can’t be pinned on Cora.
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