It’s fair to say that this season has not gone the way the Boston Red Sox had hoped. They are 11-17 and are a half game ahead of the Houston Astros for the worst record in the American League. With the amount of talent the team had on paper, this start to the season is a bit surprising. Despite the team beating the Baltimore Orioles 17-1 on Saturday, the Red Sox decided it was time to clean house. They fired manager Alex Cora along with five members of the coaching staff. Chad Tracy has been announced as the team’s interim manager.
This move shocked the baseball world. While the Red Sox have not played well this season, Cora is one of the most respected coaches in the game. Over his eight seasons as Red Sox manager, he went 620-541, making the playoffs three times and winning the World Series in 2018. It’s not easy to find a manager with that level of success. So why did the Red Sox make this decision, and can it save their season?
Why did the Red Sox Decide to Fire Alex Cora?
This is not the first time that the Red Sox have had to fire Cora. Back in 2020, Cora and the Sox “mutually agreed” to part ways due to his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal and the Red Sox being in hot water for a similar scandal. After Cora served his suspension, he was re-hired by the team before the start of the 2021 season. But since this rehiring, there has been a noticeable change. Before 2020, Cora had a record of 192-132, with a World Series trip. But since he had a record of 428-409, and two last-place finishes.
Now, Cora did not always have the most talented roster throughout the 2020s. But with how talented a manager Cora is, he should be able to get the most out of that roster. There is also the problem that the Sox have had three Presidents of Baseball Operations since 2019. They keep placing the blame for the team’s shortcomings on the front office rather than on the coaching staff. You cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect things to change. This is the Red Sox trying to shake things up and try something different.
There were also rumors that Cora was not the best at communicating with the young players on the team. In fact, current POBO Craig Breslow praised Tracy’s ability to serve as a stabilizing voice when he was introduced. It appears that the front office wants a manager who will help the young core they have assembled. Someone who can be the vocal leader and the guy that the team rallies behind. It appears that never happened with Cora. His message may have gone stale and didn’t resonate with the young guys on the roster.
We have seen many times that struggling teams get a jolt when a manager is fired. The biggest example was in 2022, when the Philadelphia Phillies fired Joe Girardi. Before Girardi was fired, they were 23-29 and seemed unlikely to go anywhere. But after Rob Thompson took over, they went 64-46 and won the NL Pennant. The Sox are hoping that the Cora firing has a similar result. They are trying to give this team a jolt and give them something to rally around. It could be what prevents this season from getting any worse.
Overall, this is a very risky move by the Red Sox. While they needed to do something to shake up the roster, moving on from a manager like Cora is not easy. If they do not succeed quickly, it could cost the front office their jobs.
