The Boston Red Sox signed manager Alex Cora to a three-year contract extension on July 24, putting an end to months of speculation surrounding his future with the organization – for the next three years, at least.
The contract Cora signed with the team in 2021 was set to expire at the end of the 2024 season, giving him lame-duck status until his new deal was finalized. Before the extension was announced, it had been widely speculated that Cora would choose to take the same "managerial free agency" route that Craig Counsell had a year earlier when his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers expired and he joined the Chicago Cubs on a historic five-year, $40 million deal.
Cora's new contract keeps him in Boston through the 2027 season and makes him the second-highest-paid manager in baseball (behind Counsell, of course). Cora will earn $21.75 million over the next three seasons, good for $7.25 million annually. That's $750,000 less than Counsell makes per year with the Cubs, despite Cora having the better managerial track record.
Alex Cora reveals why a lengthier contract extension wasn't on the table with Red Sox
Considering that Counsell got two more years and nearly double the money, it left many wondering why Cora didn't land a similar deal with the Red Sox. However, Boston reporter and radio host Rob Bradford reported that it was Cora – not the team – who was not interested in a lengthier deal.
During a recent appearance on WEEI's Jones & Mego show, Cora discussed his new contract extension and answered without hesitation when host Meghan Ottolini asked why he opted for a three-year extension instead of, say, a five-year deal.
"The boys," Cora said, referring to his seven-year-old twin sons, Xander and Islander. The Red Sox skipper proceeded to get emotional when reflecting on the significant time spent away from his family during baseball season.
"Those days are becoming harder and harder, to be honest with you," Cora said. "I think a five-year commitment for the family was a lot."
Cora did not rule out the possibility of still being the Red Sox manager five years from now, going on to say that he and his family would "love to be here" for the long term. Still, Cora maintained that his family is his "No. 1 team" and that any decision about his future was going to be made with them at the forefront of his mind.
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