Alex Cora Back in the Managerial Chair for the Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have officially rehired Alex Cora. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported the news on his Twitter page.
Breaking: Alex Cora is back as Red Sox manager
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 6, 2020
Throughout the process, Red Sox ownership were very serious in their pursuit of Cora. The team’s front office regime personally flew down to Puerto Rico last week.
Red Sox people flew down to Puerto Rico to interview Cora late last week. Apparently, he answered all their questions satisfactorily.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 6, 2020
If you recall, Cora was originally fired by the team in January of this year. It was described as a “mutually parting of ways.” At the time, Commissioner Rob Manfred created a report which was “nine pages” in length and “mentioned Cora 11 times.” However, despite those findings, Red Sox ownership was satisfied with the way Cora handled his firing.
Furthermore, the team’s ownership preferred someone with previous managerial experience and an individual with a winning background. Cora checks off all of those boxes despite what happened regarding the investigation. Additionally, Cora has some familiarity with the team’s farm system which likely gave him an advantage in the interview process.
The Interview Process
The Red Sox interviewed a lengthy list of candidates before coming to this decision. In fact, just this past weekend they had narrowed the field down to five candidates. Jon Heyman also had that angle on Twitter.
Sources suggest these are the likely finalists for the Red Sox managing job: Sam Fuld, James Rowson, Don Kelly, Carlos Mendoza and Alex Cora.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 1, 2020
Thursday, the team narrowed the group down to three candidates. However, of that bunch Cora along with Sam Fuld stood out as the two favorites. Fuld is currently employed as the Director of Integrative Baseball Performance for the Philadelphia Phillies. In addition, he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays alongside current Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom.
Final Thoughts on Alex Cora
Alex Cora knows what it takes to manage in a big-market like Boston. Furthermore, he helped the team win a World Series Championship in 2018 despite what might have happened regarding sign stealing. It’s a second chance for Cora, but one that should be much more positive this time around.
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