Mets, Yankees coaches among Alex Cora's targets as he looks to build Sox staff

On a day in which three Red Sox coaches left the organization, some potential names for new manager Alex Cora’s 2018 coaching staff began to emerge.

Joe Espada, who spent the last three seasons as third base coach and infield instructor for the New York Yankees, is a target of Cora’s to become his bench coach in Boston, a baseball source said.

One possible complication: in the wake of the decision by the Yankees not to retain manager Joe Girardi, Espada could potentially be a candidate to replace Girardi or, at the very least, be elevated to bench coach with the Yanks under a new manager.

Like Cora, Espada is 42 and a native of Puerto Rico. Prior to coming to the Yankees, he served four seasons as the Marlins third base coach. Prior to that, he was the Marlins' minor league infield coordinator. Espada has also coached the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and '17.