It appears like Red Sox manager Alex Cora will fetch a high price, coming one year after Craig Counsell was signed by the Chicago Cubs to a $40 million, five-year contract.
Cora is in the last year of his current deal, and it seems like both parties are okay with him effectively hitting free agency in the fall of next year.
According to reports, Cora and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow want to collaborate this season on a trial basis before deciding whether or not to form a long-term partnership.
The Red Sox may have their backup available in case something goes wrong.
According to a story published on Thursday by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, “New Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey is considered as a potential replacement if Cora goes.”
This argument has two parts that need to be examined; let’s start with Bailey. The former reliever and Breslow have a tight working relationship; in addition to being teammates in the past, they were also catch partners in Boston and co-run a charity.
Breslow is aware that he can rely on Bailey and that, for the most part, their opinions would coincide. Heyman’s claim makes a lot of sense should Cora leave, but will he?
Cora’s job in Boston is in risk because Red Sox ownership hasn’t been willing to spend top money for much of anything in recent years.
Having said that, Cora has a close relationship with the Fenway Sports Group, having been hired by them twice: once prior to the 2018 campaign and again after his suspension for the whole 2020 season.
FSG also remained loyal to Cora when the team finished last in the American League East two straight seasons, even though they made changes to the coaching staff and the baseball operations department.
In terms of performance, Counsell’s constant surpassing of expectations was the reason he was held in such high regard.
Has Cora ever done that before 2021? He created a reputation for himself in 2021, finished last with lineups that finished last in 2022 and 2023, won with a fantastic squad in 2018, underperformed against enormous expectations in 2019, missed 2020, and so on.
Although Cora is an excellent manager and a great fit for a team that should be in the playoffs, will his desire to become the highest-paid manager in history really exist? He might make it there with the Los Angeles Dodgers or even the New York Yankees.
It would be shocking to see him command a record-breaking contract somewhere other than those two landing sites.
Breslow’s interest in returning is unclear, but the Fenway Sports Group will want him back. Cora’s ultimate ambition is to go up the organizational ladder, and he would have a greater chance of doing so in Boston than anywhere else.
You would think that after so many losses, he would get tired of losing and join an ownership group that genuinely cares about performance.
As the season goes on, speculation about Cora’s possible exit will increase, which will be a very annoying subject, similar to what happened with shortstop Xander Bogaerts two seasons ago. In actuality, we won’t truly know until a contract is signed, much like Bogey.
