The Boston Red Sox have many players reaching the free agent market at the end of the 2024 season. But players aren't the only ones who could walk at the end of the year.
The Red Sox's World Series-winning manager Alex Cora is entering the final season of his contract. He's been offering mixed messages about his desires for his next move, but many reporters and insiders are struggling to come up with reasons why Cora should stick around.
On the latest episode of the "Foul Territory" podcast, Ken Rosenthal shared his thoughts about Cora's potential decisions and may have given Boston fans a clue.
He opened his statement with the same thoughts most of Red Sox Nation have shared — the way the Red Sox organization has been operated in recent years is inexplicable. There's no telling what Boston's plan is with Cora because none of their recent plans for anything else make any sense.
"We could have several high-profile jobs open up at the end of the season"@Ken_Rosenthal weighs in on Alex Cora's future with the @RedSox
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 6, 2024
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There are many factors at play for Cora's final season. The front office has given him yet another poor team to work with, Cora's working relationship with new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is yet to be seen, and a potential return may be contingent on this year's performance.
If the Red Sox have success this season and can scrape together a winning record — which seems less and less likely with every passing day — there's a chance they would want to bring Cora back. If they play poorly, there's also a good chance they use him as a scapegoat, just as they did to Chaim Bloom. He's an easy target for the front office to use as an excuse for Boston's poor performance over the last four years. It doesn't take a genius to know that the current state of the Red Sox is not Cora's fault.
However, if the Red Sox over-perform this year, Cora may be a highly coveted candidate by other clubs. If he can put together a winning team with the Red Sox roster he's working with, imagine what he could do on a team with star power. There's a real possibility that Cora would like to test the free agent market after Craig Counsell signed a record-breaking contract with the Cubs this winter, too. He could likely fetch a nice payday for himself after pulling together multiple competitive seasons with such little help from the front office.
No matter the Red Sox's performance this season, Alex Cora seems halfway out the door
Rosenthal also acknowledged what is arguably the most important factor in Cora's decision — his personal wants. The skipper has been cryptic about whether or not he hopes to stay in Boston as manager. He told Rosenthal that he has no plans to put his Newton, MA home up for sale, but he also previously told Red Sox media that he doesn't intend to manage for another decade.
Cora's intentional vagueness about his plans likely reflects the front office's mentality. It's possible there aren't any plans for Cora. Maybe management is waiting to see the outcome of the season before making any decisions.
If Cora walks, it'll be hard to find someone willing to accept the job. Multiple chief baseball officer candidates declined to interview with the Red Sox because of the ownership very clearly meddling in the decision making and personnel choices.
The Red Sox organization should spend the rest of the 2024 season trying to change its image for the sake of the 2025 club. If they can't convince Cora to re-sign, the next offseason could be just as brutal as this one.