Alex Cora Credits Red Sox Front Office For Offseason Moves

The Boston Red Sox were one of the most active teams in baseball this offseason. They’ve added Ranger Suarez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to major league contracts and traded for Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, among others.

On Monday, the team acquired Caleb Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers to add to their infield. Durbin played third base for the Brewers, but could play either second or third for the Red Sox.

Regardless of where Durbin plays, he’ll be tasked with filling the hole left by Alex Bregman. Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs earlier this winter, leaving the Red Sox with a hole at third base. After Bregman left for Chicago, Boston pivoted and spent big on the starting pitching market in Suarez.

Alex Cora addressed the media in Fort Myers on Monday and credited the front office for their decisiveness.

“Give credit to the front office. That Saturday in Boston [when Bregman left], it felt like the world was falling and there’s no direction and this and that, but they did an outstanding job getting Suarez here, and we kept working, working, working,” Cora said.

While plan A was likely to bring Bregman back, the Red Sox ultimately lost out to Chicago. With a lack of offensive options on the free agent market and money to spend, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow pivoted to defense and pitching by signing Suarez to a five-year deal. Some might see the move as reactionary, but Suarez is an upgrade to the pitching staff nonetheless.

The roster picture is starting to become clear for the Red Sox, although there’s still over a month before the season kicks off.