The Red Sox should hire Sam Fuld, not Alex Cora as manager

Sam Fuld might be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox

Rather than distancing themselves from Alex Cora after the former Houston Astros coach was implicated in the sign-stealing scandal, the Red Sox look all but set to bring him back as manager in 2021 now that his one-year suspension has elapsed. If Chaim Bloom chooses to go in a different direction, a surprise coach from Philadelphia might be the guy he chooses.

Earlier this morning on MLB Network, Jon Heyman confirmed that if Cora is not brought back as manager, all signs point to Sam Fuld, who has spent the last few seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as major league player information coordinator.

Sam Fuld has everything the Red Sox need in their next manager

The 38-year-old Fuld hit .227 with 12 home runs in his career as a player, most of which was spent with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.

As much as the Astros hiring Dusty Baker was a baseball move, there was a touch of PR sprinkled into that hire. Who better to coach the most justifiably hated team in the league than a veteran manager who everyone around the league likes and respects with his eyes on his first championship? Cora would, literally, be more of the same, while Fuld could help Boston turn the page.

While Fuld’s on-field role is a bit vague and undefined, it’s clear that he has the respect of Philadelphia’s locker room thanks to his ability to blend the wishes of the front office with the attitudes of the players, and that ability to manufacture chemistry is invaluable. If Fuld is able to help a talented roster make the necessary tweaks to compete in 2020.

Fuld might not be a sexy name, but he could be an ideal manager for a team like Boston.