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Red Sox reuniting with Alex Cora would be the best for Boston in 2021

By Brendan Mizgala

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Manager Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox reacts before a game against the Kansas City Royals on August 22, 2019 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The game is the completion of the game that was suspended due to weather on August 7 in the top of the 10th inning with a tied score of 4-4. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Manager Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox reacts before a game against the Kansas City Royals on August 22, 2019 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The game is the completion of the game that was suspended due to weather on August 7 in the top of the 10th inning with a tied score of 4-4. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /
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Should the Red Sox bring Alex Cora back in 2021?

It seems like a simple question and yet over the course of this season I’ve seen quite the split response from Red Sox Nation. With the recent news that Ron Roenicke won’t be reprising his role as Boston’s manager next year opening the door wide for a return for Alex Cora. This isn’t going to be a snap decision by Chaim Bloom, and the front office man has been very reluctant to give any insight into this thought process.

Earlier today, Bloom held a Zoom call with the media and the biggest topic of discussion was the potential return of Cora. I don’t know if Chaim has been taking some CIA interrogation classes during the season but his use of misdirection and circle talk was highly impressive. He never once truly answered if the team would be looking at AC to return or if the former skipper was off the books for good. Bloom kept playing his answers straight down the middle never once wavering to one side or the other.

So, should Alex Cora be considered for the vacant Red Sox job? In my eyes, absolutely! How could you not consider the guy that brought your team the greatest success in franchise history? It would be impossible for Bloom to look past a 108-win regular season, 11-3 postseason, and a World Series trophy. Even with 2019 not living up to the expectations of the previous year, it wasn’t as bad as things got in 2020. Cora never once lost the faith of his team or his bosses even with the results not matching up to the pre-season goals.

The argument for bringing Cora back is strong and honestly, probably the fan favorite at this point. We saw numerous players that thrived under his coaching style struggle greatly with him out of the fold. Let’s not forget, John Henry, Tom Werner, and Sam Kennedy all love AC and have been vocal that they’d love to have him back, and at the least, in the conversation.

As CBO the final decision will be left to Bloom and he’s the one that Alex will have to win over. With this winter being his first try chance to place his fingerprints on this organization, he may want to take things in a totally different direction. It’s been only a few days since the news of Roenicke being fired so things have yet to evolve enough to hammer down favorites, though there are a handful of candidates that would do well in the role.

Now, we all know the positives of AC in the Red Sox organization, but it’s time to look at the negatives. There’s a reason he wasn’t with the team in 2020 and it stems from his time with the Houston Astros. We all remember last winter when the news broke of the immense sign-stealing scandal that shook the baseball world. At first, Cora was made out to be some sort of evil mastermind the levels that only Thanos could touch. In the following months though his true involvement was proven to be a fraction of what he was accused of back in December.

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The Red Sox and Cora would part ways in what at the time, and even more so now, felt like a PR move. If we know anything about this ownership group it’s that they value good PR more than the revenues they bring in every season. So by following suit with the Astros, they parted ways with their manager. However, with this being one of if not the worst season in team history, that PR door could swing the other way. They could spin it in a way that tells the story of the disgraced hero returning to bring the team back to glory.

Cora not only won a World Series as a manager with the Red Sox in 2018, but he won one as a member of the roster back in 2007 as well. Add in that asterisk laden title from his time in Houston, and it’s clear that AC knows what he’s doing. That’s why he is able to win over his team, he was in their shoes, and not so long ago. This team needs to be reminded about how damn good they are and they need to have that spark in the clubhouse again, that’s why Alex needs to be brought back.

Next. Five bright spots from 2020. dark

I said it above and I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face, bringing Alex Cora back is the absolute best decision for the Red Sox going forward. There will be a vocal part of the fanbase that will hate the idea of bringing back a manager brandishing the Scarlett Letter as a “cheater.” His involvement in the scandal is a fact but to the level, it was initially thought is not. It’s time to move on and with the Red Sox desperately needing to bring some positivity it may also be time to bring Alex Cora home.

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