Alex Cora Makes $20,000 Guarantee on Red Sox Beating Projections

The skipper's confidence is well-founded

Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Alex Cora is pretty much always in touch with the outside narratives about the Boston Red Sox.

Coming into this season, fans and critics were worried about the team's lack of home run potential. When ZiPS' season projections came out and no one on the Red Sox had a median home run projection at or above 20, there were some doomers who sounded alarm bells.

Though the Red Sox had just two batters reach the 20-homer plateau last season and no one better than Trevor Story's 25, Cora can't envision a world where no one on his team gets to that relatively low threshold. So he put his money behind his team's home run swings.

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Cora's 20-homer pledge shows confidence in lineup

Sep 9, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on before the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

During a Thursday appearance on WEEI's "Greg Hill Show," Cora pledged to donate $20,000 to the Jimmy Fund, the charity wing of the world-renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, as soon as someone on his team broke the 20-homer threshold.

"I always do a pledge to the Jimmy Fund," Cora said. "I know the power thing is a thing in Boston. As soon as someone hits 20 home runs, I'm gonna give $20,000 to the Jimmy Fund."

Cora's pledge wasn't out of the blue, as he does something similar most seasons, but he seemed particularly aware of the narrative that was running around that Boston's lineup wouldn't have enough pop.

"I always find something," Cora explained. "Stealing bases or scoring runs. That's how sure I am that we're gonna have power."

The Red Sox's ZiPS projections had Story, Wilyer Abreu, and Roman Anthony leading the way with 18 homers apiece, with Willson Contreras, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela right behind at 17. Because those are median projections, the law of averages would dictate that at least a couple of those players would beat those numbers, with a couple of others falling short.

At the end of the day, the Red Sox are going to find a way to generate offense. But the margins between an adequate offense and a good one are slim, and the home run total is worth watching closely as the summer peaks into the trade deadline.