The Alex Cora era has been a strange one.
Cora took over as the Boston Red Sox manager for the 2018 season, winning 108 games and the World Series as a rookie. However, since that magical campaign, the Red Sox have made the postseason just once (an American League Championship Series loss in 2021) and do not look poised to break that drought at 42-44 so far.
Cora was also suspended for the entire 2020 season due to his involvement in Boston’s sign-stealing scandal. He seems well-liked by the players (except, maybe Rafael Devers), and his 563-495 career record is nothing to scoff at.
He was recently asked about his future as a manager, and naturally draws comparisons to one of his Boston Red Sox predecessors, the legendary Terry Francona.
Here is what Cora had to say about the Francona comparisons, via Christopher Smith of MassLive:
Francona is probably the most successful skipper in Boston’s history, guiding it to World Series victories in 2004 and 2007. Oddly enough, Francona, Cora, and John Farrell (2013-17) all won a championship in their first year at the helm.
However, since inheriting that excellent 2018 team, Cora has won 90 games once (92 in 2021) and finished .500 or worse in each of the last three full seasons. Perhaps that rookie-manager-secret-formula ideology resurfaces in the Red Sox’s front office as they look to recapture the magic.
Cora is also handsomely paid, earning more than $7 million annually, and he is locked up through 2027. Boston’s performance the rest of this summer will help clarify his future with the organization, for better or worse.
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