Alex Cora: No Plans to Discuss Red Sox Midseason Extension

Red Sox manager Alex Cora entered this 2024 season without a contract scheduled for 2025, and his comments to reporters, including Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, yesterday indicate that he and the team do not intend to discuss the issue of a contract extension during the season.
“We’re going to play it, and whatever is decided is decided,” Cora said, according to McCaffrey. “… My status will be taken care of in the future, no matter what the organization decides – or whatever I decide to do.”
Cora has managed the Red Sox since 2018, except for the shortened 2020 season when he was replaced by Ron Roenicke while serving a one-year suspension for his role in the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Boston, of course, won the World Series in the first season of Cora’s tenure. However, the Red Sox missed the 2019 postseason, and when Cora returns to the manager’s chair in 2021, he is generally close to .500 with 277 wins and 267 losses entering the game today. They finished the season just once in Cora’s second stint with the club, advancing to the ALCS in 2021 after earning a Wild Card berth.
Of course, much of the blame for that lackluster performance in recent seasons lies at the feet of the front office, now on its third major in baseball since Cora joined the staff in 2018 after hiring a former Cubs assistant GM. Craig Breslow as a senior baseball official this past season. Given the turmoil the Red Sox have faced at the top of their baseball operations department and a payroll that has exceeded $200MM just once in the past five seasons after reaching a peak of $236MM in 2019 (with Cot’s baseball contracts), it’s hard to pin Boston’s struggles down the years. the latest at Cora’s feet.
In fact, the Red Sox have exceeded expectations so far in the 2024 campaign, posting a 29-29 record today despite little additions after last year’s 84-loss campaign and significant injuries to key pieces such as Lucas Giolito, Garrett Whitlock, Trevor’s storyagain Places to stay in Triston Casas. The club’s solid performance amid those injuries and low expectations has cemented Cora’s reputation around the league as one of the game’s most respected managers, and should make him attractive as a manager should he not return to the Red Sox in 2025. Cora’s situation reminds us of the former manager of the Brewers Craig Counsellwho left Milwaukee after opting out of the 2023 season without an extension in favor of a five-year, $40MM contract with the Cubs this past winter.
McCaffrey notes that Cora was “well aware” of Counsell’s deal with the Cubs this past season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was hoping to get himself a similar deal this winter. On the other hand, Cora might at least look to take his free agent status as an opportunity to get out of the hole altogether. The 48-year-old has hinted that he would like to move to an office position at some point down the line, though he noted last fall that he wasn’t ready to make the jump.
Coincidentally, the Red Sox themselves will be in the market to add to their front office credibility this winter, with MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam noting that Breslow recently told reporters he doesn’t expect to hire a second baseman. until this winter. That’s not a surprising development, as it was reported last month by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that the club hired an outside firm to conduct an organizational study and provide Breslow with recommendations on possible changes. As noted by McAdam, Breslow suggested that the ongoing audit could influence his decision about the GM job, noting that it could pressure them into promoting an internal candidate or indicate that they can get better hiring help from outside the organization. .
While the opening of Boston’s front office and Cora’s previously stated long-term goals seem to coincide, neither side has indicated that Cora and the Red Sox are considering the possibility of their manager moving up next season. Instead, it appears that decisions by all parties, regarding Cora’s future in the organization and the vacant GM role below Breslow in the baseball operations hierarchy, will be shelved until this winter as the club tries to weather a storm of injuries and return to the postseason after a last-place finish. back to back finishes in the AL East.
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