There is a lot of excitement swirling around the Boston Red Sox right now but that doesn't mean there won't be some tough decisions to be made in the near future.
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) runs to the dugout during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park
The 2024 season is going by extremely quickly and the second half of the season is about to kick off. It will be a race to the finish. The trade deadline is about to come and pass and then it will be a race to the playoffs.
Boston has a really good shot at making it back to the playoffs and one of the biggest reasons for that is the leadership of manager Alex Cora. He is one of the best managers in baseball and although the Red Sox have been counted out by many, he continuously has put them in a position to succeed and they have done just that.
Having a manager like Cora is a clear advantage and other teams know this as well. Cora's contract is up a the end of the season and he is expected to land a major new deal. If he doesn't end up returning to the Red Sox, one team that was called a fit for him is the New York Yankees, according to MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.
"How could the Red Sox explain not re-signing Cora if he leads this young roster to the playoffs when expectations were so low? But the decision is also up to Cora," Smith said. "He will be a free agent and there presumably will be at least a few teams lined up to pay him top dollar like Craig Counsell’s deal (five years, $40 million) with the Cubs. Will Boston be willing to pay that much for its manager?
"The Yankees are another fit if Aaron Boone can’t get them to the World Series. New York likely will buy big at the trade deadline and bring in elite talent to supplement their already strong roster. Another failed postseason run could mean the end for Boone in New York."
If Cora were to leave Boston for New York, that would be devastating. Hopefully, the Boston front office will reward him for his great work and find a way to keep him around.
