Recently, the Boston Red Sox's offseasons have become as much of a roller coaster as the season itself.
In the first 16 years of John Henry's ownership of the team, Red Sox fans weren't used to low payrolls, rosters with just one or two stars and mixed messaging from the front office. They've been the norm since 2019.
The front office preached sweeping changes to the team in the winter of 2023 — the words "full throttle" instantly come to mind. The 2024 offseason started days ago and Sox fans already expect more of the same.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora sat beside chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and president and CEO Sam Kennedy at the end-of-season presser as they spoke about playoff baseball as the ultimate goal for the club. Cora has continued making promises for change since the presser concluded.
Alex Cora's comments suggest he has renewed confidence in the Red Sox front office . . . but it means nothing without action
Cora appeared in the Oct. 1 episode of NESN's "310 to Left" podcast and made a point of speaking directly to fans. He looked into the camera to say his piece about the team's offseason priorities.
"To the Red Sox Nation: this is your manager, Alex Cora," he said. ". . . I truly believe with what we did this year, the youth movement, the way they play, we're in a good place."
“I think the front office is committed to take care of you. You guys have taken care of us for so many years, it’s about time to take care of you, play October baseball, and that's not good enough to win the World Series.”
Cora said during the end-of-season press conference that he signed an extension with the Red Sox due to the "promise of winning," among other things. He seems exceedingly confident that ownership has turned a corner.
Before last season, the skipper backed Rafael Devers after he pressured ownership to reinforce the roster at spring training. Cora knows ownership could've done more in the past, and his renewed excitement could be a great sign for 2025. Or, he could be blindly loyal. Either way, his attitude seems different this time around.
"We're gonna do everything possible to improve the product on the field," Cora said. "I think the days of playing .500, below .500, shooting for 80-whatever wins, are in the past. . . . Talking about the third Wild Card — yeah, it's great you make the playoffs — but we gotta shoot higher."
During the press conference, Kennedy emphasized that "talk is cheap." He's right, and Cora acknowledged that Sox fans are running low on patience. The front office seems to know that the time to go big is upon them. Fans will have to wait and see if they act on their instincts, but Cora appears optimistic that big changes will come, one way or another.