Red Sox Newcomer Reportedly Could Replace Alex Cora Next Season
Could the Boston Red Sox undergo a coaching change next season?
All indications point to Red Sox manager Alex Cora posting a hefty price tag one year after the Chicago Cubs inked Craig Counsell to a five-year, $40 million deal.
Cora is playing out the final year of his current contract and both sides appear content with the idea of the 48-year-old essentially entering free agency next fall.
It's been reported that both Cora and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow want to work together this season on a trial basis before determining if they'd like to partner up long-term.
Should things go awry, the Red Sox could have their next man ready and waiting.
"New Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey is seen as a potential replacement if Cora leaves," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Thursday.
There are two aspects of this argument to dissect, let's start with Bailey. The former reliever has a close working relationship with Breslow -- the duo were not only former teammates but catch partners in Boston and also run a charity together.
Breslow knows that he can trust Bailey and that their viewpoints would likely align more times than not. Should Cora depart, Heyman's report makes a lot of sense -- but will he?
Red Sox ownership hasn’t been open to paying top dollar for much of anything in recent years, placing Cora’s future in Boston in jeopardy.
With that said, Cora has been tight with the Fenway Sports Group, who hired him twice — once ahead of the 2018 season and again following his season-long suspension in 2020.
FSG also stuck by Cora following back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East despite overhauling both the baseball operations department and parts of the coaching staff.
Speaking of performance, Counsell was so highly valued because he perennially exceeded expectations. Outside of 2021, has Cora ever done that? He won with a super team in 2018, underperformed massive expectations in 2019, missed 2020, made a name for himself in 2021 and then finished last with last-place rosters in 2022 and 2023.
Cora is a strong manager and would be a fantastic fit for a playoff-caliber roster but will he truly be coveted to the point of highest-paid manager of all time? The Los Angeles Dodgers could get him there, possibly the New York Yankees. Outside of those two landing spots, it'd be a shock to see him command a record-breaking contract.
The Fenway Sports Group will want him back but Breslow's interest is unclear. You'd think Cora would get sick of losing and go to an ownership group that actually cares about performance but his long-term goal is to work his way up the organizational ladder and he'd have a better shot of doing so in Boston than anywhere else.
Talk of Cora's potential departure will heat up more and more as the season progresses, which will be a rather frustrating topic, much like shortstop Xander Bogaerts two seasons ago. The reality is, like Bogey, we won't really know until a contract is signed.
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