When the Boston Red Sox made the surprising decision to extend manager Alex Cora last season, many fans wanted to scream at the top of their lungs. Boston was so close to being rid of Cora, and the Red Sox decided instead to keep him around for another three years.
It appears, however, that Craig Breslow and the Red Sox front office knew something that fanbase didn't. Cora was handed a three-year deal worth more than $7 million per year, and this year's Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball.
Boston was sitting below several games below .500 just two months ago, but the Red Sox have dramatically increased their playoff odds since then (73.7% chance to make the postseason according to FanGraphs) and are within striking distance of the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays. Like it or not, Cora deserves a great deal of credit for the team's turnaround.
Alex Cora is validating Red Sox's decision to give him massive contract extension
It can't be overlooked that Cora is wielding this magic without Rafael Devers — though the former Red Sox slugger has struggled since being traded to the San Francisco Giants — and despite the front office failing to make meaningful additions at the July 31 deadline. Most MLB experts excoriated Boston for merely snagging the likes of Dustin May and Steven Matz at the trade deadline.
Devers' stubbornness along with a season-ending injury to Triston Casas turned first base into a revolving door and it has essentially been an unsettled position throughout the entire season. Yet Cora and the Red Sox are succeeding despite such a gargantuan hole in the lineup.
Since the All-Star break, Boston has received MVP-level contributions from Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran, while also getting a tremendous boost with Roman Anthony's bat in the lineup. Cora has received quality outings from Walker Buehler, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Crochet, and Aroldis Chapman continues to lock things down in the ninth inning.
Whatever Cora's doing is working, and after back-to-back losing seasons in Boston, the Red Sox skipper may be in line for the AL Manager of the Year honors given all the obstacles and adversity this team has faced in 2025.
There were questions heading into the season about Cora's future in Boston, and many were wondering how much it would cost if the team decided to move on less than a year after his contract extension. But the Red Sox manager has answered the bell, and Breslow has to be quite pleased with his decision to retain Cora for the next several seasons.