When the Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora on April 25 and replaced him with interim manager Chad Tracy, they did so while stating that Tracy wasn't necessarily locked into his role for the remainder of the season. In other words, the Craig Breslow-led think tank that ousted Cora left open the possibility of appointing a permanent replacement for Cora before the season's end.
This was a slightly different situation than the one happening in Philadelphia, where the Phillies replaced the axed Rob Thompson with interim manager Don Mattingly, announcing that Mattingly would hold his interim post for the remainder of the 2026 campaign.
Mattingly's dominant start at the helm in Philly has fans hoping he'll stick around as long as possible. Tracy hasn't wowed to that extent in Boston, tallying a 7-5 record thus far.
"Excited, but also honoring the people that were before me that were mentors to me... but as we creep closer to game time I'm excited about it."
— NESN (@NESN) April 26, 2026
Chad Tracy on his position as the new #RedSox interim manager. pic.twitter.com/GellQVmInv
Torey Lovullo floated as potential Red Sox manager hire
ESPN's Jeff Passan mentioned Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo as a possible fit in Boston starting next season. Not surprisingly, Passan also linked Lovullo to the Phillies.
"If Torey Lovullo leaves the Arizona Diamondbacks after his contract expires at the end of the season, could he be a fit in Philadelphia, where he knows president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, or Boston, where he served as bench coach for John Farrell?" Passan wrote.
We know that Dombrowski approached Cora to replace Thomson before firing Thomson and appointing Mattingly. Cora declined, reportedly citing the desire to spend the rest of the season with his family. But it's widely assumed that Cora will be interested in managing again in 2026, and the Phillies job would likely be his for the taking.
That could give the Red Sox an easier time landing Lovullo, but is he the right fit? The easier question to answer right now is, why not? As Passan noted, Lovullo's been a part of successful Red Sox eras in the past, having served as Farrell's bench coach for the 2013 championship season. Lovullo remained in that role through the 2016 season, with managerial interest from other franchises growing, and he showed off impressive managerial chops as interim skipper for the Red Sox in 2015 while Farrell was out for cancer treatment.
Breaking down the Torey Luvollo-Red Sox fit proposed by Jeff Passan
In nine-plus seasons at the helm in Arizona, Lovullo has made the playoffs only twice, but keep in mind that the D-Backs are playing in the ultra-competitive National League West. Lovullo was named NL Manager of the Year in his first season as Arizona's skipper (2017), and he took the D-Backs to the 2023 World Series, where they lost to the Texas Rangers in five games.
So, there you have it: Lovullo has World Series experience as both a manager and a bench coach, and he has extreme familiarity with the Red Sox organization. Why shouldn't Lovullo be considered a great candidate for Boston in 2027?
Add us as a preferred source on Google