Ken Rosenthal Blasts Red Sox Over Decision to Fire Alex Cora

The Boston Red Sox made a shocking decision on Saturday evening to fire manager Alex Cora after an emphatic 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Cora, who was in his eighth season with the organization, was let go along with several members of his coaching staff.

Boston struggled to a 10-17 start under Cora this season, ultimately prompting the organization to make a change.

In a statement, Red Sox owner John Henry reflected on Cora's tenure:

"Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude," Henry said. "He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived."

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This decision, however, was not consulted with the players, according to reports revealed on Sunday prior to their first game under interim manager Chad Tracy, who had been managing the Triple-A affiliate in Worcester.

All of that - along with Cora being viewed by some as a scapegoat - prompted a strong reaction from longtime MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal, who criticized the organization led by Henry.

"They are the league leader in dysfunction, in overreaction, and in scapegoating," Rosenthal said.

"Remember the date of these changes was April 25. That's remarkably early. The Red Sox at the time were 10-17, yes they'd been struggling, but this move shocked the entire industry. It shocked the entire industry not just because of the timing of course, but because of who Alex Cora is in the game. He's one of the more respected managers in the game and it shocked people because they thought he was pretty safe."

Rosenthal went into further detail on how the Red Sox handled their clubhouse meeting with players, noting that several were unhappy with the way it was conducted.

"The way they handled that clubhouse meeting yesterday… they spoke, no one else did and the players were not happy," Rosenthal added. "It wasn't cool. You have to let the players have their say too … if you have feel - feel for your clubhouse, feel for your players, feel for your organization - then you're gonna handle this a little bit differently and that is the biggest issue with the Red Sox. It's feel. It's Breslow's feel, it's John Henry's feel … and this is just a lack of respect for your players … and it's a lack of respect for your fans."

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 1:05 PM.