Alex Cora Somehow Continues To Avert Accountability

Since Alex Cora came back from his suspension, the Red Sox haven’t had a lot of success. They’ve only gone to the postseason once including missing it the past three seasons as well. Somehow Cora has avoided any real consequences for the Boston Red Sox’s lack of success. In the most blatant example of failing upward, the team even gave Cora a three-year contract extension. Meanwhile, Boston has gone through three different baseball operations heads. Alex Cora doesn’t get enough blame for the Red Sox’s struggles in recent seasons.

John Henry’s Lapdog

The Boston Red Sox haven’t had a lot of success since rehiring Alex Cora. Aside from a surprise ALCS appearance in 2021, Boston has missed the postseason the past three years. Since his return, Boston has gone 328-318, and they’ve finished in last place in two of the past three seasons as well. Yet, somehow, Cora can do no wrong in the eyes of owner John Henry and is shielded from any blame. Cora was even recently awarded Cora a three-year, $21.75 million extension. It’s almost as if Alex Cora has become John Henry’s lapdog.

Alex Cora Hasn’t Been Getting The Job Done

In recent years, Fenway Sports Group has cut back on how much money they spend on the Boston Red Sox. Their current payroll is ranked 11^th in the league at $190,033,467. John Henry has said he’s interested in modeling his organization after the division rival Tampa Bay Rays. Alex Cora’s job is to win with the talent that’s been given to him, he hasn’t done that in the past three seasons. There are plenty of managers in this game who have won with significantly less than what Cora has had in Boston.  

Despite Boston’s lack of success in recent years, it was Chaim Bloom who took the fall in 2023. Cora was retained and was even allowed to be a part of the Sox’s search committee for a chief baseball officer. This gave him a say on who his new boss would be. The veteran manager’s presence was part of the reason why many top candidates turned down the opportunity to even interview. John Henry’s insistence that the new chief baseball officer work with Cora further vindicated him.

Alex Cora is not that special of a manager to be avoiding accountability like he has been lately. During his tenure in Boston, Cora’s teams have only gone to the postseason twice. While he led the Sox to a World Series championship in 2018, anybody in the stands at Fenway Park could’ve won with that team. That accomplishment is starting to feel like it happened a long time ago. You can only blame the front office so much for a team failing to get into the postseason.

The Red Sox Will Never Win Again Operating Like This

Alex Cora shouldn’t be avoiding responsibility for the Red Sox’s struggles like he has been the past three years. It is ultimately Cora’s responsibility to win with the talent that has been given to him. The veteran manager hasn’t done that in the past three years. You can’t entirely blame the front office for the Boston Red Sox’s shortcomings. While Cora did sign an extension, that doesn’t make him invincible. The Sox haven’t gone to the postseason in three years and the buck ultimately stops with Cora. If the Red Sox want to return to their past glory, then they ought to start putting more pressure on Alex Cora and holding him more accountable for their failure.

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