Though spring training has just begun, speculation on Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora‘s future is already rife. After this season, Cora’s contract expires, and with his future with the Red Sox uncertain, he is already responding to inquiries about his future plans. “Answering questions” might be a bit misleading, though, as Cora doesn’t seem to be interested in addressing the big picture at this time.
Cora has a 440-370 record in his five seasons as the Red Sox’s manager. His two terms as Boston’s manager have been separated by time. He and the team mutually decided to split ways after he was implicated in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal at the end of the 2019 campaign. When Houston stole the opposition team’s signs, Cora was their bench coach. At this point, the league was also looking into the Red Sox for their own controversy involving sign stealing.
Cora’s involvement in the Astros incident ultimately resulted in a 2020 season suspension by commissioner Rob Manfred; nevertheless, he was able to maintain the goodwill of Boston ownership and was rehired as the team’s manager on November 6, 2020.
In his first season with the team, Cora won a World Series in 2018. However, the subsequent two seasons have seen the team finish last in the American League East with identical records (78-84 in 2022 and 2023).
Cora, who turned 48 in October, discussed the emotional and physical toll that playing in the major leagues placed on him on Tuesday. He also mentioned that this time around, he has made a conscious effort to put his health first.
“Last year, I had terrible bodily pain. I had terrible health and energy levels. It wasn’t good. I refuse to allow a game define who I am as a person or what I must accomplish.”
Even in the unlikely event that Cora rejoins the Red Sox in 2025, he doesn’t seem to be interested in being a “baseball lifer” and has stated that he would rather spend more time with his family and focus on his personal life.
Before retiring at the end of the 64th season, Francona managed for 23 seasons. After serving as an MLB captain for 37 seasons, La Russa managed until he was 77 years old.
Ultimately, whether Alex Cora stays on as Boston’s manager in 2025 may depend only on him. His remarks don’t seem like the mindset of a manager who is all in on a future with the organization (or even in baseball in general), and if Red Sox management can still remember that they own the team, they would eventually be better served to get ahead of this. But for the time being, it seems like Alex Cora has the upper hand.
