The Red Sox rehire Alex Cora following his suspension and dismissal for his involvement in the Astros’ cheating incident.
The Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, pictured above in 2019, just completed serving a one-season suspension imposed by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for his involvement in cheating while the Houston Astros’ bench coach in 2017 during their World Series title run.
Less than a year after the franchise fired Alex Cora due to his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal, the Boston Red Sox are rehiring the manager who guided them to the 2018 World Series championship.
In a statement released on Friday, Cora said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to manage once again and return to the game I have loved my entire life.”
“I’ve always wanted to be in Boston, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to support the Red Sox in reaching our ultimate objective of winning in October.”
Ten days after Cora’s one-season suspension ended for his involvement in the Astros’ 2017 championship-winning sign-stealing plot, Boston made the announcement.
After joining the Red Sox in November 2017 as Houston’s bench coach, Cora guided the team to a franchise-high 108 regular-season victories and the 2018 championship.
The 2019 third-place Red Sox released Cora in January following Commissioner Rob Manfred’s revelation that he was the mastermind behind the Astros’ plot.
“I’ve had a year to think back on and assess a lot of things, and I realize how lucky I am to be leading this club once more,” Cora stated.
It was really tough to not be a part of the baseball game and to feel bad about drawing unfavorable attention to my family and our organization.
I apologise for the hurt my previous acts have caused, and I’ll do all in my power to bring honor to this group and its supporters.”
Manfred cited Cora, an infielder for the 2007 Boston team, eleven times while making his Astros judgment. Both newly hired Houston manager AJ Hinch and recently hired New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran lost their jobs as a result of the Astros inquiry. Hinch, who completed a one-season ban, was appointed as manager of the Detroit Tigers last week.
“Alex understands that his actions were incorrect, and he is sorry for them,” stated Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom. “We think he will make good on this second chance because he loves the Red Sox and the game of baseball.”
Although Bloom did not initially hire Cora, he was in charge when the franchise let Cora go last winter after joining the Red Sox in the off-season.
After being promoted from bench coach to Cora’s replacement, Ron Roenicke was fired after the salary-cutting Red Sox finished last in the AL East.
“Alex ought to be in charge. After being sacked, Roenicke, a bench coach under Cora, told reporters, “He did a pretty wonderful job here.” “I hope he pulls this off once again. He should be in charge, whether it’s here or somewhere.”
World Series team is missing a crucial component.
Cora was not to be spoken to by the Red Sox until after the World Series concluded. They were clearly concentrating on Cora based on their lack of action.
Sam Kennedy, the team president and CEO, stated, “Alex kept making us better over his Red Sox career as a player and manager.”
“With his extraordinary talent, he will build on the strong ties he has cultivated over time to make us better in the years to come. He owns his faults and has learned from them.”
Cora’s new team is not much like the one he managed previously.
Bloom is now in charge of the baseball division. His other major off-season transaction involved sending David Price and 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an attempt to move the Red Sox below the threshold for baseball’s luxury tax on large payrolls.
The Red Sox finished 24-36 with Betts and Price out of the picture, Chris Sale recuperating from Tommy John surgery, and Eduardo Rodriguez healing from a cardiac condition linked to COVID-19.
If there is any improvement in the 2021 season, Cora yet has hope for it.
The first half is anticipated to see a rebound in sales. J.D. Martinez is also under contract for at least one more year. He was an all-star his first two years in Boston before having a rough 2020 season due to the pandemic.
Furthermore, the Red Sox earned a great lot of salary flexibility in the trade that sent Betts and Price packing.
