Why Alex Cora Extension Makes Perfect Sense For Red Sox
Alex Cora’s the right man for the job in Boston and the Red Sox ensured that on Wednesday.
Cora and the Red Sox agreed to a three-year contract extension that keeps the 48-year-old with the franchise through the 2027 season. His deal should make him baseball’s second-highest paid manager behind Craig Counsell with the Chicago Cubs.
That’s deserved.
To the outside eye, Cora’s tenure as the Red Sox manager has some areas that may have created doubt about that future. Boston has missed the postseason in each of the last two years and three times in five years. Those years, however, need deeper attention given how many injuries the ballclub endured and handcuffed Cora’s ability to maximize the roster.
To that point, a healthy roster is all Cora’s needed to create momentum in Boston.
2018? The Red Sox won the World Series in the most dominant season in franchise history. 2021? Cora navigated the Red Sox from last place during his 2020 absence to an appearance in the American League Championship Series.
Few managers in the sport can match the in-game impact that Cora provides. That’s on full display as much as ever during this 2024 season.
A young roster entered the season with a chance to grow and now sits right in the middle of a playoff race. Player relationships and choosing matchups drove the Red Sox to a hot stretch that turned the season around in June. Cora deserves plenty of credit.
The prime example? Pushing all of the right buttons in a thunderous comeback against the Toronto Blue Jays in June. Cora consistently talks about championship aspirations and set a tone that night with the NBA champion Boston Celtics looking on at Fenway Park.
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Cora clearly connects well with the youthful bunch that’s elevated the Red Sox this season. With the next core of young prospects being ready for a jump to Boston in 2025, Cora needs to be the one leading that group into the next chapter of contention. Now, he will be.
Cora is here to stay in Boston. He took care of his family. He’s here to take care of his players. With a move that clearly shows a winning intention from the front office to recommit to him, the Red Sox have their manager to turn a corner back to victory.
That starts as early as this season with a consequential trade deadline ahead for the Red Sox.