Alex Cora had rare managerial power. Yet the Red Sox fired the untouchable in stunning fashion

Boston is burning, at least the baseball part of it.

The Red Sox, tied for the American League’s second-worst record, parted ways with manager Alex Cora on Saturday evening. Five other members of the coaching staff, including hitting coach Peter Fatse, were also let go. The shocking purge came just hours after Boston’s struggling lineup erupted for what appeared to be a cathartic 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

That offensive outburst clearly arrived too late for Cora, a polarizing figure first hired as Boston’s skipper in the autumn of 2017. A lifeless sweep at home to the rival New York Yankees last Thursday was the likely nail in the coffin. Triple-A manager Chad Tracy will serve as interim manager. Much-maligned chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team president Sam Kennedy will address the media Sunday in Baltimore.

Principal team owner John Henry wrote in a statement:

“[Alex Cora] has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.”

Alex Cora never replicated his first season in Boston when he won a World Series in 2018. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Cora’s tenure in Boston got off to a rip-roaring start in 2018, when a Mookie Betts-led squad stampeded to a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins and a convincing World Series title over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was only the fifth time in MLB history that a first-year manager had ever led their team to a championship. That instant success made Cora the talk of the town. It also solidified his status as an abnormally powerful figure within the Red Sox franchise.

Nowadays, few managers have meaningful influence over significant baseball operations decisions or organizational philosophies. Most skippers are, in the main, implementing the directives and preferences of their executive overlords. Cora, serving under his third top baseball exec, was thought to be a notable exception.

When the 2019 Red Sox underperformed, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, not Cora, got the boot. After Major League Baseball suspended Cora for all of 2020 because of his involvement as a ringleader in the Houston Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal (Cora was the bench coach for that team) the Red Sox rehired the disgraced skipper immediately after the season as if nothing had ever happened.

A surprise run to the ALCS in 2021 under new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom only strengthened Cora’s position further. And when a power struggle emerged between Bloom and Cora in 2023, it was Bloom who ultimately lost his job.

“For a while there he was more powerful than the execs,” explained one big-league source who was offered anonymity for candor.

That’s part of what makes Cora’s firing so stunning. The former 14-year big leaguer had evolved into a seemingly inextricable part of the Red Sox, an institution all his own. Cora was generally liked by his players who appreciated his intensity, loyalty and communication skills. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, the 50-year-old was also celebrated for his ability to relate to the game’s many Latin American players. Many opposing coaches begrudgingly respected his thorough preparation and winning track record.

He is, simply put, considered to be good at the gig and all it entails.

But in other pockets around the game, Cora had garnered something of a mixed reputation. A handful took issue with his conduct surrounding Bloom’s departure in 2023. Others pointed toward his involvement in Houston’s can-banging controversy as disqualifying. To some, he came across as sanctimonious, carrying himself with the untouchable confidence and self-righteousness of a tenured professor.

“Treated people poorly for years,” a different front-office employee shared.

“He’s not my favorite human,” quipped another.

But baseball, like many communities, is full of divisive characters. One does not need to be a teddy bear, or a saint, to hold down a job. This is a results-based business and Cora’s results, as of late, were not up to par in the eyes of Boston’s leadership trio of Henry, Kennedy and Breslow. That group, to be fair, is deserving of criticism in its own right. Opinions of Breslow are particularly split across the industry, with many knocking him for a robotic tone and a lack of feel. Others laud his willingness to make tough decisions and his forward-thinking approach to pitching development.

For now, Breslow remains unscathed. Cora wasn’t so lucky. His recent résumé might help explain why.

Since 2018, Cora’s Red Sox emerged victorious in just one playoff series. The club did not reach October between 2022 and 2024 despite carrying top-10 payrolls. Last summer, the relationship between the franchise and cornerstone slugger Rafael Devers completely disintegrated, precipitating a deal that sent Devers to San Francisco. Boston battled through that drama to earn a wild-card spot, but was swiftly knocked out by the Yankees in the first round of the postseason.

That triggered a significant amount of offseason roster turnover. But the new faces, for the most part, have not shined in the early going. That, alongside slow starts from young star Roman Anthony, mercurial outfielder Jarren Duran and veteran shortstop Trevor Story, sent Boston tumbling down the April standings.

Through it all, Cora adopted a posture of confidence, maintaining an unshakable faith in the group his bosses had assembled. On Saturday, that faith was resoundingly not reciprocated. Asked Friday about when exactly early-season struggles begin to necessitate a change in approach, Cora held firm, his eyes on the big picture.

“I don’t think you know after 20-something games, right?” he said. “I mean, like, that’s the reality of the game.”

For Cora, as it turned out, the reality was much harsher: Twenty-something games was more than enough for Boston’s front office to show him the door.

Read the full article here