Since his hiring in 2018, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has quickly moved his way up the organization's all-time wins list. Even though he was suspended for the 2020 season, Cora ranks third in games managed (1134) and wins (610) among Red Sox managers.
Despite the success, there was a period of time when Cora thought about stepping away from the Sox. Cora's contract was due to end following the 2024 season. At that point, the Sox had missed the playoffs back-to-back seasons in '22 and '23, and Craig Breslow was in his first season as chief baseball officer. By the All-Star break, the Red Sox were 10 games over .500, third in the AL East, and holding the final wild card spot.
Despite going 1-4 coming out of the break, the Sox got Cora to agree to a three-year contract extension. While Boston would miss the playoffs for the third straight season, there were some stipulations in signing that extension, including the team being more successful in the coming seasons.
That's exactly what happened. Boston made big additions in the 2024-25 offseason and made the playoffs for the first time since 2021. It has a young, emerging core, and despite losing Alex Bregman during the offseason, the front office rebounded well, and Cora is expressing his love for the game again.
Alex Cora finally sees the Red Sox building something special again
In an article by Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe, Cora spoke about his future with the Red Sox with only two years left on his contract. He spoke about how the success's of last year made him feel "recharged" and how he's excited about the direction of the organization.
Alex Cora was asked if there’s an end date to him managing with 2 years remaining on his deal:
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) March 20, 2026
“We have to talk about it. We made a decision on the last [contract] to keep it at three years, and there was a reason. I like where the team is at. It’s fun again. We have a good… pic.twitter.com/P4raXiyg4R
Cora is widely regarded as one of the game's best managers. Before signing his extension, there was some thought he would sign a contract close to or bigger than the one Craig Counsell had gotten from the Chicago Cubs the previous offseason, which set the record for an MLB manager.
He is integral to the Red Sox's success. Red Sox Nation knows that Cora consistently pushes the right buttons to get wins. His management of the bullpen and the bench puts the Red Sox in positions to win games. He's also known as a player-manager, able to connect with veterans and rookies alike and get the best out of his players.
Losing Cora would be a major blow to the organization. Understandably, he would want to be managing a team that has its sights set on winning the World Series. He's proven he can take teams on deep playoff runs and get them across the finish line. Breslow and ownership should be doing everything they can to keep him around, and this offseason was a great step in that.