Cora Era 'Ovah,' But Red Sox Fired The Wrong Guy

In a move no one saw coming and few were asking for, the Red Sox fired long-time manager Alex Cora on Saturday night. Also fired were a whole crew of coaches, including Sox legend and fan-favorite Jason Varitek. (Officially the team says he's being "reassigned," but he did leave on the plane with Cora and the other fired coaches.)

How out of nowhere was this "Saturday Night Massacre?"

Rob Bradford of WEEI and the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast said he is "baffled" at the move.

Sox super-fan Jarred Carrabis simply stated, "I don't understand it."

Dave O'Brien, longtime play-by-play announcer on NESN, called it "a stunner."

Ken Rosenthal said it was an "absolute shocker."

Sox shortstop Trevor Story, who by the way invoked his player option to stay with Cora and the Red Sox this season, was visibly shaken, puffy-eyed, and seems to be regretting his decision to stay. He was out of the lineup for Sunday's game.

See also: Trevor Story Raises Concerns

Former Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar stood up for fired coach Pete Fatse, calling him the best hitting coach he ever had. (Pillar had a lot of coaches over his MLB career - he played for 11 teams!) Pillar added they should've fired Breslow instead.

I agree.

Yes, Boston has gotten off to a very slow start. So, too, have the Phillies, Blue Jays, Mets, and Astros. It's worth noting that they all still have the managers they started the season with. [Edit/Update: Since this writing, the Phillies have entered the chat and fired Rob Thomson. Although they reportedly reached out to Cora, they have installed Don Mattingly as interim manager.]

See also Red Sox Management Sends Strong Message

Red Sox make unexpected (and maybe unwanted!) promotions

Now what? Career minor leaguer Chad Tracy will take over as interim manager. He has managed the AAA Worcester affiliate since 2022.

Note: He's this Chad Tracy, not that Chad Tracy.

He is well regarded by the Sox core of youngsters, i.e., Roman Anthony and Marcello Meyer, who played for him. But he has never managed or coached at the big-league level. In fact, he has never even played at the big-league level.

On the other hand, Alex Cora's record of accomplishment at the big league level speaks for itself, as do his three World Series rings. He is also third in Red Sox history for managerial wins.

Do the Red Sox brass truly believe the team is better today without Cora, Varitek, and company? Certainly not.

So… Who Threw the Ketchup?

Did manager and general manager not see to eye? Was there a rift or an argument behind closed doors? So far, we don't know. To me, this smacks of a temper tantrum. A plan that had no plan. A panic move. No MLB-experienced people were lined up to take over. It's just a mad scramble to promote guys already employed by the team - coaches who, let's face it, really aren't in a position to say no.

It's also worth noting that Cora's dismissal comes just barely into the second season of a three-year contract worth $21.75 million. He will be paid that money regardless. Mind you, these are some of the same millions Breslow was unwilling to (or not allowed to) spend on free agents over the winter.

And then there's the timing. It is curious. We are only a few weeks into the season. It's virtually unheard of to fire a manager, let alone half of the coaching staff, in April. Even weirder, the team was coming off a 17-1 victory over the Orioles that day, which came off a team meeting Cora called on Friday night. Little did he know at the time, but as he was trying to rally his troops, he was already all but fired.

Don't be fooled by Saturday's 17-run explosion in Baltimore. Breslow isn't likely to see a lot of that, regardless of who is writing out the lineup card.

Why?

Roster construction. Craig Breslow's roster construction. He even admitted as much:

"Overall, the accountability for the roster falls on me. And this was a challenging roster to manage just given the position player group. That's something that I acknowledged and acknowledged talking with Alex yesterday."

If you're throwing your arms up and saying, "Well then, what gives?" in your head, many folks are right there with you.

The fact is, the way this team was "built" over the winter would've been laughable, except this comedy of errors was not funny to Sox fans.

Let's get into it.

Come along Sherman to the Wayback Machine

Late last Spring, Craig Breslow signed Alex Bregman. Bregman was signed ostensibly to move to 2B, where the Sox had a glaring need. Devers would stay at 3B, a position he had been manning for 7 years. At least that's what they initially told him.

But it soon became apparent in Spring Training that, actually, it would be (up-and-comer at the time) Kristian Campbell who would start at 2B, Bregman's Gold Glove would take 3B, and Devers would be relegated DH.

Raffy wasn't happy. Understandably so.

Later, when he was asked to try his hand at first base, he balked.

That made management unhappy. Understandably so.

Then came the shocking trade to San Francisco. Because the deal was part temper tantrum, part salary dump, Boston got little in return - two interesting but unpolished arms in Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, plus a minor league OF prospect.

Despite trading away their best hitter, the Sox did make the playoffs. Manager Alex Cora deservedly got most of the credit for that.

In the winter, Bregman decided to opt out, saying "no thanks" to a contract worth $40 million for the year. Who does that after being hurt and missing 48 games? Apparently, Alex Bregman and his hubris-fueled agent Scott Boras do.

Predictably, the Sox brass fiddle-farted around with the contract negotiations, decided a no-trade clause was a bridge too far, and whoops, Bregman suddenly signed with the Cubs.

Now, the Sox don't have his Gold Glove, clutch hitting, and leadership, and got nothing for him. And they don't have Devers, and they essentially got nothing for him either.

Not good.

Being spurned by Bregman apparently collapsed whatever plan Breslow had concocted. In response to his inability to acquire the right-handed bat he said was a priority, Breslow went out and overpaid for pitcher Ranger Saurez in January. Sonny Gray, Ranger Saurez, and "run prevention" was a pivot, not a plan. Who needs Devers or Bregman, or even Pete Alonso, for that matter, right?

And there still wasn't anybody to play third base, so Breslow had to flip lefty Kyle Harrison for Caleb Durbin in February. It hasn't gone well so far. Durbin is hitting well under the Mendoza Line, and his only home run came on Saturday, off a position player tossing balls in the mid-40s MPH. Meanwhile, Harrison is pitching well for Milwaukee; in fact, he just struck out 12 Pirates the other day. To rub more salt in it, the toolsy kid the Giants threw in to tantalize the Devers deal, James Tibbs III, is absolutely tearing it up in the minors - for the Dodgers.

Many criticized Breslow after Spring Training for sending Cora north with 5 outfielders, 4 of them left-handed. Asked how he can work with this, Cora said, "It's not easy."

However, to me, Breslow's most unforgivable move was one of his first - trading Chris Sale. All Sale did was go ahead and win the Cy Young Award for the Braves. Egg, meet face. And the guy he got in return? Vaughan Grissom, who did absolutely nothing for the team.

While Breslow did acquire ace Garrett Crochet in a bold deal that was widely praised, the prospects he gave up are looking very good with the White Sox. With Crochet off to an uneven start this year, some wondered if he was hurt, which means Breslow is one potential elbow injury away from having nothing to show for that deal, as well. Remember, if he hadn't traded away Sale, he wouldn't have needed to get Crochet.

To me, it's like a Masterclass on how not to run a baseball club. But while it's Breslow who deserves to be fired, he's the one doing the firing.

Well, it's Breslow's team now, and only time will tell if that's for the better or the worse.

Related: Guardians Finally Call Up Heralded Former No. 1 Pick

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 9:17 PM.