MLB Notebook: All eyes on Craig Breslow after Red Sox fire Alex Cora

On Saturday afternoon, the Red Sox stunned the baseball world, firing manager Alex Cora along with several members of his coaching staff.

The decision came on the heels of Friday night’s 10-3 loss to the Orioles, when Boston surrendered six home runs in another lifeless performance. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team leadership had seen enough, prompting internal discussions on how to salvage the remainder of the season.

By Saturday morning, just hours before a 12:05 p.m. first pitch, Breslow made the call to overhaul the staff. He, president Sam Kennedy, and principal owner John Henry flew to Baltimore and, following the Red Sox’ 17-1 win, informed Cora he was out effective immediately.

On Sunday morning, Breslow and Kennedy addressed reporters, explaining why such a dramatic move was necessary. The first question they faced: Why now, 27 games into the regular season? 

“It really comes down to the belief that we have in the players and the belief we have in the group to accomplish what we set out to accomplish,” Breslow said. “By acting today, it gives us 135 games ahead of us, so we’ve got almost a full season’s worth of run to take advantage of this fresh start and ultimately to compete for a division and a deep postseason run.”

Breslow and Kennedy spent about 25 minutes addressing reporters in Baltimore, explaining why they moved on from Cora and elevated WooSox manager Chad Tracy.

Kennedy called the decision “painful” but “necessary,” while Breslow said it’s his responsibility to do whatever gives the Red Sox the best chance to win moving forward.

“Right now we feel like this change, these changes, were warranted,” Breslow said, “and we’re really excited about the chance for Chad to come in and be a consistent stabilizing voice and one the majority of our player group is familiar with.”

Breslow and Kennedy declined to detail what Cora was doing wrong, but made it clear the early-season results weren’t good enough and required an immediate course correction.

“We are clearly not performing up to our expectations, up to the players’ historical track records,” Breslow said. “We need to do everything possible to get there and then determine exactly whether or not this was the right strategy, but step one is getting the players to perform the way that they have historically, the way we believe they can and putting support in terms of staff and resources around them in order to do that.”

Kennedy confirmed that the decision to move on from Cora ultimately rested with Breslow.

“Absolutely,” Kennedy said. “We hired Craig to be our chief baseball officer, he runs the baseball operation, we are a front office-led baseball operation and our job is to support the entire group the best we possibly can, and that’s what we did in this instance.”

It remains unclear what’s next for the Red Sox from a coaching standpoint. Tracy will serve as interim manager, with former Sea Dogs skipper Chad Epperson stepping in as interim third base coach and WooSox hitting coach Collin Hetzler joining the major league staff.

Despite Tracy’s interim title, Breslow said the team could explore hiring a permanent manager during the season.

“We could be, it could also be that Chad is exactly what we’re looking for,” Breslow said. “We have full confidence in him, we believe that to be the case, but any time a team is not performing I think you have to look at all options.”

Not everyone on Cora’s staff was let go. The pitching side remains intact, including Andrew Bailey, who has a close relationship with Breslow. Assistant hitting coach John Soteropulos was the lone member of the hitting group retained, notably, he previously worked at Driveline before joining the Red Sox.

Breslow said the decisions were based on what he believed would best position the team for success, pointing out that the pitching staff, in particular, has shown signs of improvement.

“I have confidence in the pitching group’s ability to turn that around,” Breslow said. “I think we’ve seen evidence of that with Ranger (Suarez) and with Garrett (Crochet) and have full confidence in that group to be able to get us on track.”

Jason Varitek’s role remains unclear after being reassigned within the organization. Breslow said conversations about his future are ongoing, but noted he will no longer be in uniform on the field.

“We’re still working through that and having conversations,” Breslow said. “Obviously Tek is an incredibly meaningful and important and revered member in this organization who has a ton of respect from me, but I think those conversations are best handled in private.”

Breslow acknowledged that the club’s performance ultimately falls on him, given he built the roster, but said he still believes the group is good enough to reach the postseason, which is why he felt compelled to act early in the season.

“I don’t think our goals have changed,” Breslow said. “We talked all offseason, all spring training about building a team that could compete for the division and make it to the postseason.”

Red Sox Players Are Sounding Off

Breslow’s communication style has drawn scrutiny at times, including during the Rafael Devers situation, when questions arose about how the club handled his role change following the signing of Alex Bregman. Devers later voiced frustration over the lack of clarity, and the relationship ultimately deteriorated before he was dealt to San Francisco.

There have also been other moments that have highlighted tension within the front office, including a reported internal incident involving a staff dismissal during a Zoom call, adding to the perception that Breslow’s leadership style is still being defined.

“Thanks, Bres, you (expletive) stiff,” Carl Moesche reportedly said, thinking the call had ended, and was later fired, according to Joon Lee. 

On Sunday afternoon, players in the Red Sox clubhouse voiced frustration about the organization’s direction.

Veteran shortstop Trevor Story called Cora and the dismissed staff “some of the best coaches in the world” and said he “felt like they didn’t get a fair shot.”

Story added that the message from Breslow was not satisfactory and that he planned to speak with him “today.” He also said he wished the clubhouse had been consulted, though acknowledged that “it’s not the nature of the business.”

“If this shows us anything,” Story said, “it’s we’re here to play baseball, and that’s it. We don’t make decisions. We don’t have any input on that.”

Right-hander Garrett Whitlock added, “They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball, and we need to just focus on playing baseball. … So that’s where we’re at.”

Tracy and Breslow addressed the team before Sunday’s game, with Breslow speaking for about two minutes and Tracy for roughly three. Kennedy and Henry stood along the clubhouse wall during the meeting but did not speak.

That left 21-year-old Roman Anthony as the first player to address the media on behalf of the team afterward.

“I don’t think anyone really expected it,” Anthony said of the decision.

As for the specifics of the meetings: “Everything that went on, I think I’ll let a veteran guy talk about that,” Anthony said.

Owner MIA

Shortly after the news broke, the team released a statement from Henry.

“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Henry said. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.

“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”

Henry’s reluctance to speak publicly about the state of the franchise is becoming increasingly noticeable. He has not addressed the media since the Mookie Betts trade six years ago.

While the Red Sox have won four World Series under his ownership, frustration has grown within the fan base over the on-field product, perceived hesitancy to spend on premium talent, and a pattern of mixed messaging from the front office.

The perception for years has been that, despite operating in a major market, the Red Sox have at times functioned more like a mid-market club, leaning heavily on analytics without consistently balancing it with a traditional baseball approach.

Bregman Might Have Been Smart to Bolt Boston

Prior to last spring, the Red Sox made a splash, signing Bregman to a three-year, $120-million deal with opt-outs, a move that initially signaled a shift in direction.

After the signing, Linda Pizzuti Henry posted a photo of Henry smoking a cigar, an image that captured a sense of triumph. After years of fan frustration and cautious spending, it felt like Boston had finally gone all-in, especially after also acquiring ace Garrett Crochet in a trade with the White Sox.

For a moment, it felt like the Red Sox were back, dealing prospects for impact talent and opening the checkbook for proven winners.

That was clearly just a well-timed photo-op. 

Bregman is now with the Cubs on a five-year, $175-million deal, and Boston pivoted to signing Ranger Suárez. Despite the perception of increased spending, the Red Sox ranked just 12th in MLB payroll, trailing teams like the Astros, Padres, and Tigers.

During his time in Boston, Bregman made an impact beyond the stat sheet. He embraced the clubhouse, particularly connecting with younger players like Anthony, and his leadership was evident as the Red Sox integrated a wave of youth, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, along with pitchers Connelly Early and Payton Tolle down the stretch.

Entering the offseason, there was a strong expectation that Boston would bring Bregman back on a long-term deal. Instead, as the market developed, the Red Sox appeared to slow-play negotiations, opening the door for other teams. The Cubs remained patient and ultimately seized the opportunity.

During his introductory press conference in Chicago, Bregman spoke with MassLive’s Chris Cotillo but declined to go into detail about his negotiations with the Red Sox, leaving lingering questions about how Boston let a key piece slip away.

“Literally, the first second of free agency really opened, it felt like we knew the Cubs wanted our family to be here,” Bregman said.

In the end, Bregman felt wanted in Chicago, while Boston appeared to slow-play the process, confident it could ultimately bring the veteran back.

The Red Sox reportedly offered a five-year, $165-million deal that included significant deferrals, and their reluctance to include a no-trade clause became a sticking point. Ultimately, Bregman chose to move on, landing in Chicago instead.

“Being able to be in a place that offered stability and a place that showed how much they cared about me is super important to me and my family,” Bregman said. “I have a young family, and we can’t wait to raise our kids here in Chicago.”

Bregman is happy with his new team, but it's clearly evident, the Red Sox and Cora needed his leadership with such a young group of players. 

‘I’M HAPPY’

Less than 12 hours after being fired, Cora made his first public comments via social media.

Around 1 a.m. Sunday, Cora posted a photo of himself and the dismissed Red Sox coaches boarding a charter flight back to Boston. The team had arranged transportation to the airport for the group.

“#mypeople,” Cora wrote, adding a heart emoji beneath a photo of the coaches arm-in-arm in front of the plane. The image included Jason Varitek, who has since been reassigned, along with Kyle Hudson, Joe Cronin, Dillon Lawson, Pete Fatse, and Ramón Vázquez, all dismissed by the Red Sox on Saturday.

Three hours later, Cora shared a clip on Instagram from the All the Smoke podcast featuring Mookie Betts, which had been released two days earlier with hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.

“As quiet as it’s kept, I enjoy watching Red Sox games,” Betts said in the video. “Because of Cora. I love Alex Cora. People think I hate it. People think I didn’t want to be there and that was all a facade. It’s still business. Business is business. You still have to separate business from personal.”

Asked about his departure from Boston in the clip, Betts said, “It’s just business, man. Business is business. You cannot blend the two.”

Shortly after sharing the video, Cora posted on X: “Happy!” with a smiley face, and also texted multiple Red Sox reporters the same message.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Cora responded to Sam Kennedy’s email regarding his dismissal, hitting “reply all” to reach the entire organization. According to Cotillo, just before 4 a.m., Cora sent a message thanking everyone for their support.

“The Cora’s will be OK,” he wrote, adding a winking emoji.