McAdam: Red Sox managerial search entering final stretch

It would seem that the Red Sox are getting closer to naming a new manager. Just how "new'' remains to be seen.

In the last 24 hours, a number of candidates have been eliminated, numerous reports indicate. No longer in the running are Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, Marlins bench coach James Rowson and Yankees coach Carlos Mendoza.

That would, barring any last-minute candidates emerging, appear to leave the decision down to a choice between Sam Fuld and former manager Alex Cora.

From the perspective of the Red Sox organization, Cora is the clear favorite of both ownership and the players, both of whom would favor a reunion with their former manager. For a team desperately need of an image overhaul and improved public relations -- following a last-place finish and the trading of Mookie Betts -- Cora would provide a boost.

Cora, of course, is well-known to all. He managed the Sox in 2018-2019, leading them to a World Series win in his first season before a disappointing second season in which the Red Sox won just 84 games and finished in third place.

Months later, after an MLB investigation uncovered Cora's involvement with the Houston Astros 2017 sign-stealing in 2017, Cora and the Red Sox "mutually agreed'' part ways. Later, Major League Baseball suspended Cora for the entire 2020 season for his actions with the Astros. A second investigation into sign-stealing with the Red Sox in 2018 mostly absolved Cora of any wrongdoing.

Cora was eligible for reinstatement the day after the World Series concluded last week.

Cora was recently visited in his native Puerto Rico by chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and general manager Brian O'Halloran. O'Halloran knows Cora from the former infielder's stint as a player with the Red Sox (2005-2008) and, of course, his managerial tenure. But Bloom doesn't have the same history with Cora, having worked with him for just two and a half months, out-of-season, at a time when Bloom was trying to familiarize himself with the entire organization.

Fuld is far less known with a lower profile, but has always intrigued Bloom, whom he knows well from Fuld's three seasons (2011-2013) as a Tampa Bay Rays outfielder.

Fuld had an eight-year career as a journeyman outfielder in the big leagues, playing for four franchises. A native of Durham, N.H.., Fuld played college ball at Stanford and has spent the last few years in a hybrid role with the Philadelphia Phillies as that organization's player information coordinator, helping to communicate relevant analytical data between Baseball Operations and players.

Fuld interviewed for the Toronto Blue Jays managerial opening after 2018 -- a job that went to another candidate with ties to the Rays, former bench coach Charlie Montoyo -- telling friends he didn't feel ready for the job.

Hiring Fuld would be somewhat of a risk for Bloom, who would be bypassing a more known commodity in Cora and instead choosing someone with no coaching or managing experience.

On the other hand, were Bloom to hire Fuld, it would establish that he has true autonomy in his post, since it's well known that John Henry, Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy would advocate for Cora's return.