The Boston Red Sox have exercised Alex Cora’s club option through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the team announced Monday.
Cora, 46, is 284-202 in three seasons as Red Sox manager, having led the club to a winning record in all three seasons at the helm, including setting a franchise record with 108 wins and a World Series title in 2018.
“I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to manage the Red Sox,” Cora said in a statement. “We experienced so many special moments as a team and as a city in 2021, but we still have unfinished business to take care of. I am excited about the current state of our organization and eager to continue my work with our front office, coaches, players, and everyone who makes this such a special place.”
Cora was let go after he was identified as a ringleader in the Houston Astros sign-steeling scandal. After Ron Roenicke managed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Cora was brought back to the Boston dugout.
Cora, who finished fifth in American League Manager of the Year voting, led the Red Sox to a 92-70 record during the 2021 regular season, including a major-league-best 47 come-from-behind wins. The Red Sox advanced to the AL Championship Series after defeating the rival New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game and the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series. Boston fell in the ALCS to the Astros in six games.
“There’s so much that you can say about what an organization looks for in a manager,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. “I think a lot of it comes down to leadership and partnership. You’re seeking a leader, not just for your clubhouse, but for the entire organization, and a partner in our goal of bringing championship-caliber baseball to Fenway Park on an annual basis. And in Alex, we have both of those things.
“One of the unique things about Alex is that he combines a lot of different qualities that help bring the best out of players, his feel for the game of baseball, his intellect, just the way he notices things on the field and is able to combine them with the preparation that he does to maximize what goes on the field. He can really take a clubhouse to another level; there’s not that many people that bring both of those things to the table in abundance like Alex does. On top of that, he’s just a great guy to work with. He’s charismatic, he’s funny, he’s real.”
Also Monday, Bloom said the team is in the market for pitching after left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez agreed to a $77 million, five-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. But Bloom did not commit to replacing him with a front-line starter or bolstering the staff in some other way.
Bloom said it was difficult to let Rodriguez go. The 28-year-old Venezuelan has been one of the rotation’s most consistent pitchers, winning 19 games in 2019 before missing all of 2020 with heart problems related to COVID-19.
“We were fighting our emotions on this. He means a lot to people here,” Bloom said. “We’re happy for him. But we have to be comfortable with how far we’re willing to extend.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com