Alex Cora is already giving Mets fans much-needed hope

Excitement and optimism are already mounting that the New York Mets will hire Carlos Beltrán to replace since-fired manager Carlos Mendoza. 

Unsurprisingly, another former member of the 2009 Mets sounds interested in returning home. 

Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora is quietly making the media rounds while seemingly preparing himself for another managerial opportunity. 

Speaking on “Trabuqueando,” a Spanish-language podcast, Cora praised Mets owner Steve Cohen as a “big dog” and called lead baseball executive David Stearns “intelligent.”

Cora also applauded the Mets’ willingness to spend on high-profile free agents. 

“It hasn’t worked out yet, so they’re getting killed for it, but how many other teams are in the exact same situation right now?” Cora said in a translated X/Twitter post. 

Alex Cora and the Mets are a perfect match

Of the Mets’ last four managers, only Buck Showalter had previously managed at the big-league level. 

Mickey Callaway and Luis Rojas both failed spectacularly in New York. Although Mendoza made the NLCS in 2024, his Mets tenure will be forever remembered for the 2025 collapse and this season’s many disasters. 

(That list increases to four out of five if we count Beltrán, who stepped down in February 2020 before managing a game.)

Conversely, Cora led the Red Sox to a 2018 World Series title and made three total playoff appearances over seven-plus seasons and two stints. 

Cora knows what it takes to play and manage in major markets, and he’s been on three World Series winners. He might also have heritage working in his favor, as superstars Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor might be tempted to push for a Hispanic manager. 

Lindor and Cora are both from Puerto Rico, and Soto is from the Dominican Republic. Those shared backgrounds, coupled with Cora’s track record, could easily give him an advantage over other candidates. 

What’s clear, though, is that the Mets cannot afford to get their next hire wrong — and we’re not being hyperbolic. 

Who else could the Mets pursue as their next manager?

The looming possibility of a salary cap only increases the pressure on Cohen, who awarded Lindor and Soto over $1 billion in combined money. The Mets and Dodgers are the only teams with payrolls exceeding $300 million. 

Why, then, would Cohen and Stearns want to gamble on another unproven manager?

If the answer isn’t Cora, then the Mets must turn their attention to someone else with extensive managerial experience. Maybe it’s Brad Ausmus or David Ross, the latter of whom has publicly expressed a desire to manage again. 

Former Braves and Marlins manager Fredi González would also be an intriguing hire. He turns 63 in January and has earned rave reviews for both his baseball mind and ability to build relationships. 

Whoever the next manager is, they must properly rein in Soto and Lindor. Former Mets assistant coach Eric Chavez accused Soto of sitting in the batting cage during games, and the examples of Lindor’s lack of leadership and blatant disrespect toward the Mets and their fans are far too long a list. 

Given how the Mets operate, Cohen and Stearns will either go all-out to land their next manager, or they’ll take a risk on someone who we’ll all agree is unproven and unfit. 

There is no middle ground, not when the Mets are involved.

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