Inside the Red Sox's decision to fire Alex Cora and what comes next

The Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora. Yes, really. I can’t believe it either.

It’s sent shockwaves throughout baseball, and has folks wondering just what the heck happened. It also has folks wondering who could be next — and what the fallout could be in the weeks and months to come. We dove into that and much more on Monday's episode of The Baseball Insiders.

Why did the Red Sox do this, and what’s the reaction around the league?

In two words, pure shock. Cora is one of the most respected managers in baseball and has had plenty of success in Boston. He has great relationships with many high-ranking members of the organization. But there was tension between Cora and lead executive Craig Breslow, and Breslow ultimately made the recommendation to fire Cora.

I received texts from over a half-dozen sources saying that Cora will have his choice of jobs in the winter. He will be highly coveted, and one of the most sought after managers in recent memory. He’s still set to earn roughly $13 million from his Red Sox contract, so he has the opportunity to be patient. 

But one thing is clear: Everyone I’ve spoken to in baseball believes that firing Cora was a mistake by the Red Sox.

Who could be the Red Sox’s manager long term?

The Red Sox intend to give interim Chad Tracy a real chance at winning the full-time job, and his track record managing for the franchise in the Minors should help. He has relationships with Roman Anthony and all the other young stars in Boston.

Despite the Cora firing, and all the backlash over the last 12 months in Boston, these are still the Red Sox. The job is very desirable. But Breslow and ownership will have to answer questions about what happened with Cora to any high-end candidate. There are a lot of people trying to figure out what’s going on.

What other teams could follow suit?

The one that executives are monitoring is the Philadelphia Phillies, and longtime beat writer Jim Salisbury said “I’m expecting to hear something.”

What that ultimately could be is unclear, but manager Rob Thomson’s seat appears to be warm. Are the team's current struggles all on Thomson? No. But someone will need to be held responsible for a last-place product, and he appears to be the safe bet. Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, appears to be safe — for now. He’s highly regarded by John Middleton in Philadelphia, and it’s worth noting that he has a great working relationship with Cora from their time in Boston. But the best guess here is that if the Phillies do make a managerial change, bench coach Don Mattingly would be the favorite.

One final thought on the Cora firing

Red Sox players were not given the chance to ask questions during the team meeting with Craig Breslow, Sam Kennedy and John Henry after the firings were announced, with Garrett Whitlock telling reporters (including the Boston Globe's Tim Healey): “They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball and we need to just focus on playing baseball.”

That lack of transparency has upset some Red Sox players. They questions — a lot of them. Rightfully so. 

Breslow is a former player who spent 12 seasons in the Majors. If anyone who should know what players want or need in a situation like this, it should be him. So the lack of transparency, and even letting some players find out on social media that Cora had been fired, is startling. There is still time for Breslow to make amends, answer questions and repair a clubhouse that is shaken by the firing of their longtime manager. But if he doesn’t, it could end up being one of his biggest downfalls as the Red Sox’s lead front office person.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow