Red Sox actions at trade deadline could seal Alex Cora's fate with organization

Boston Red Sox players and management have nothing but positive things to say about Alex Cora. From the culture he's created in the clubhouse to the way he interacts with his players, Cora has been a key part of the 2024 Red Sox's success.

Cora has been optimistic about his team all season, even during their stretch of rough defense and dozens of injuries in April. But he's been vague about his plans for the future of his career when his contract with Boston expires at the end of the season.

He may be waiting for the Red Sox to prove it's worth sticking around.

Boston's last few seasons have been characterized by unimpressive offseasons, even worse trade deadlines and a severe lack of interest from ownership. Even after promises from the front office to go "full throttle" this offseason, the group reverted to their old ways, disappointing fans and deceiving to players and coaches who hoped to advance their careers on a winning ballclub.

Now, Cora believes the Red Sox are a club worth improving, but the front office has been reluctant to agree. Boston's trade deadline plan hasn't been confirmed, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow recently confirmed that it'll "buy" or "sell," but not both.

Cora has pressured the organization to buy before the deadline multiple times since the Red Sox's hot stretch began in June. He believes the Red Sox's current level and style of play is sustainable and they have a "door" rather than a "window" to the postseason ahead of them.

The skipper won a World Series in his first season in Boston, then endured a five-year rebuild to get to 2024. The Red Sox are good, and ownership's refusal to acknowledge it could push Cora to another ballclub with a front office willing to make an effort.

The best way to keep Alex Cora with the Red Sox would be to add at the trade deadline

Cora has managed years of unimpressive Red Sox clubs to better-than-anticipated records, and the 2024 squad is no different. The front office couldn't have predicted Tanner Houck and Jarren Duran's breakout seasons, the success of all its rookies and the best campaign of Rafael Devers' career, but Cora's managerial style and expertise certainly helped them get there. The Sox are a good baseball team due to hard work and belief — Cora's contributions, not ownership's.

The manager deserves to manage a team that gets as much support from the front office as it does from him, and it seems he knows it. His vague plans about the future and his reluctance to discuss contract extensions in the middle of the season suggest he's waiting for something. Maybe it's the new concept of managerial free agency or a huge stack of cash from the front office. But it's most likely an effort he wants to see.

The 2024 Red Sox have proven they can win against better teams. Ownership has gotten everything it wanted in the preseason from the club — it's a cheap (for the Red Sox), athletic team of homegrown players who can win in the division and beyond.

The Red Sox deserve investment before the trade deadline, not just for the fans or the players, but to keep Cora around. Another lackluster trade deadline could be the final straw for Cora in Boston, and the front office should do everything possible to keep that from happening.

Boston's front office has been hell-bent on setting the team up for the future. But they're good now. Ownership has a golden chance to prove its commitment to winning for Cora, and it has about three weeks left to do the right thing.

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