3 Potential Alex Cora Replacements for Red Sox
By Tyler Maher
Alex Cora has been a good manager for the Red Sox, but even good managers need to be fired sometimes when they’re no longer a good fit or producing results on the field.
Right now, Cora just isn’t getting the job done. His team is trying to avoid last place in the AL East for the second year in a row, largely because his players can’t execute basic fundamentals in the field and on the bases. Cora’s had issues with players like Alex Verdugo and also appears to have friction with Chaim Bloom in the media, subtly calling out his boss’s moves (or lack thereof).
At the end of the season, though, Bloom is more likely to have a job than Cora. Bloom also probably wants his own manager, as Cora is a holdover from the Dave Dombrowski era.
Assuming Boston continues to struggle and Cora gets canned at the end of the year, here are three replacements the Red Sox should consider hiring.
3 Alex Cora Replacements
1. Jason Varitek
This one’s a no-brainer. Varitek has been a fan favorite in Boston for nearly a quarter of a century now, first as a player and then as a coach.
Varitek enjoyed a strong playing career with the Red Sox as their primary catcher from 1997-2011, helping the team win two World Series and serving as the team’s captain. Following his retirement, he has remained with the team in a variety of advisory and coaching roles, seemingly with the intention of becoming an MLB manager one day.
With Cora on thin ice, that time may be coming sooner rather than later. Varitek has been working alongside Cora for the last few years, learning what it takes to be a successful skipper and building relationships with the players.
It also helps that Varitek is a former catcher, a position that typically produces great MLB managers (i.e. Joe Torre). Former catchers are well-suited to working with the pitching staff as well as position players, plus they always have their heads in the game and are constantly thinking.
With Varitek in his 50s now and having more than a decade of post-retirement experience, he’s paid his dues and is ready to replace Cora. He just needs a chance.