Cora and 4 coaches sacked!

[Old Red]

Someone theorized last night that this might have been the snowball effect that they wanted to fire some of the coaches, but Cora didn’t want to, so they told Cora to go too IDK. The Red Sox have been on the back burner for me, so I’ve watched very little of this mess, but I definitely don’t want to hear from Sam, and #12 explaining things away. As CWG would say we’re on the threshold of hell.🙈🙈

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

JP Riccardi speculated last night on NESN they may have wanted to fire a coach or two but Cora stood by his men as a unit so they cleaned house (of his guys).

Chad Tracy is a company man and should have a job managing somewhere in the org when he's replaced after his interim. But if the front office really wants to turn this thing around, Tracy's first moves should be to switch Mayer and Story in the middle infield. Remember, Story was signed by Bloom, not Breslow -- whose own job may be defined by who he trades away at the deadline in three months.

By then, if they want something really radical, consider Franklin Arias -- who yesterday cranked a pinch-hit come-from-behind walk-off homer with two outs and two strikes to the opposite field. Arias leads all leagues in professional baseball in OPS.

Tracy should also move Anthony to 5th in the batting order -- until he gets his swing back... then bat him 3rd; never leadoff again. 

Duran needs to leadoff and get back to his sparkplug ways. It may be a longshot, but it also may be the only shot to regenerate enough offense to get back to respectability. Durbin can keep hitting 2nd, as long as the new small ball philosophers teach, practice and implement bunt strategies for all the fast guys (like the '25 team with the most wins just did with Hamilton).

Don't say bunting has gone out of style -- not in Boston, where reaching base, moving runners and scoring runs has gone out of style.

[notin]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

JP Riccardi speculated last night on NESN they may have wanted to fire a coach or two but Cora stood by his men as a unit so they cleaned house (of his guys).

Chad Tracy is a company man and should have a job managing somewhere in the org when he's replaced after his interim. But if the front office really wants to turn this thing around, Tracy's first moves should be to switch Mayer and Story in the middle infield. Remember, Story was signed by Bloom, not Breslow -- whose own job may be defined by who he trades away at the deadline in three months.

By then, if they want something really radical, consider Franklin Arias -- who yesterday cranked a pinch-hit come-from-behind walk-off homer with two outs and two strikes to the opposite field. Arias leads all leagues in professional baseball in OPS.

Tracy should also move Anthony to 5th in the batting order -- until he gets his swing back... then bat him 3rd; never leadoff again. 

Duran needs to leadoff and get back to his sparkplug ways. It may be a longshot, but it also may be the only shot to regenerate enough offense to get back to respectability. Durbin can keep hitting 2nd, as long as the new small ball philosophers teach, practice and implement bunt strategies for all the fast guys (like the '25 team with the most wins just did with Hamilton).

Don't say bunting has gone out of style -- not in Boston, where reaching base, moving runners and scoring runs has gone out of style.

Baby steps.  No need to throw Arias into the fray just yet, especially with all the stories abound on how the Sox are upset with younger players not following the team’s developmental paths.

Just play the hot hands in the OF, swap Mayer and Story on the field.  No idea if Story makes an issue out of changing positions like some other man-child infielder of recent years.  But Story really has no leverage here.  Is he going to refuse and take his .550 OPS into a self-imposed benching?  Because that’s not exactly the worst threat I’ve ever heard.

Oh, and keep Tolle in the rotation but move Bello to the bullpen.  If Brayan rights the ship there it solves two problems.  If he doesn’t, he pushes Watson out the door  for the mop up job.  Literally no risk…

[Hitch]

I'd live with Story and platoon Mayer/Durbin. 

[Hitch]

13 minutes ago, notin said:

 

Oh, and keep Tolle in the rotation but move Bello to the bullpen.  If Brayan rights the ship there it solves two problems.  If he doesn’t, he pushes Watson out the door  for the mop up job.  Literally no risk…

No idea how close it was but I was really hopeful we'd trade Bello in the summer. If there was interest then, there won't be as much now. That was the time to cash in.

[illinoisredsox]

2 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I'd live with Story and platoon Mayer/Durbin. 

No.  Mayer has to be given the chance to show that he can or can’t hit lefties at least at a passable level.  A platoon ala Cora won’t provide that.

Leave Durbin at 3rd for now.
 

[notin]

4 minutes ago, Hitch said:

I'd live with Story and platoon Mayer/Durbin. 

I think Story at 2b, Mayer at SS, and, for lack of any other option - Durbin at 3rd.

But what I’d really like to shake this team up is Story at 3b, Mayer at SS, Rafaela at 2b, Braiden Ward in CF.  But Thsts not going to happen for multiple reasons, the first one being that it shouldn’t…

[Hitch]

10 minutes ago, illinoisredsox said:

No.  Mayer has to be given the chance to show that he can or can’t hit lefties at least at a passable level.  A platoon ala Cora won’t provide that.

Leave Durbin at 3rd for now.
 

Why? Mayer hasn't proven he can hit consistently on either side of the plate yet. I have no issue platooning him. Which is why I was arguing to trade him in the winter when his stock was still very high.

[Hitch]

If I just heard the question correctly - Kennedy just confirmed that this decision was a Brez decision and they backed him.

[Hitch]

7 minutes ago, Hitch said:

If I just heard the question correctly - Kennedy just confirmed that this decision was a Brez decision and they backed him.

Sounds like I did...

 

[Old Red]

1 hour ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

JP Riccardi speculated last night on NESN they may have wanted to fire a coach or two but Cora stood by his men as a unit so they cleaned house (of his guys).

Chad Tracy is a company man and should have a job managing somewhere in the org when he's replaced after his interim. But if the front office really wants to turn this thing around, Tracy's first moves should be to switch Mayer and Story in the middle infield. Remember, Story was signed by Bloom, not Breslow -- whose own job may be defined by who he trades away at the deadline in three months.

By then, if they want something really radical, consider Franklin Arias -- who yesterday cranked a pinch-hit come-from-behind walk-off homer with two outs and two strikes to the opposite field. Arias leads all leagues in professional baseball in OPS.

Tracy should also move Anthony to 5th in the batting order -- until he gets his swing back... then bat him 3rd; never leadoff again. 

Duran needs to leadoff and get back to his sparkplug ways. It may be a longshot, but it also may be the only shot to regenerate enough offense to get back to respectability. Durbin can keep hitting 2nd, as long as the new small ball philosophers teach, practice and implement bunt strategies for all the fast guys (like the '25 team with the most wins just did with Hamilton).

Don't say bunting has gone out of style -- not in Boston, where reaching base, moving runners and scoring runs has gone out of style.

The big question is how much of a say will Tracy have in doing things, or will he get a lot of instructions from Brez.🤔

[notin]

1 hour ago, Hitch said:

Why? Mayer hasn't proven he can hit consistently on either side of the plate yet. I have no issue platooning him. Which is why I was arguing to trade him in the winter when his stock was still very high.

Obvious question, but what makes you think he has blatant weaknesses like not being able to hit lefties, but his stock was still high?  I mean, if we know his weaknesses, safe bet every scout knows them and 10 more.

Also, you phrased this like Mayer is a switch hitter.  I assume you meant “against lefties and righties”…

[notin]

14 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Sounds like I did...

 

No doubt it was a Breslow call.  Kennedy is an invertebrate. 
 

Unlike Cora, Breslow has some leverage.  They filled Cora’s job in 3 minutes.  How long does it take to replace Breslow if he gets fired?

[notin]

4 minutes ago, Old Red said:

The big question is how much of a say will Tracy have in doing things, or will he get a lot of instructions from Brez.🤔

If Breslow was guiding Cora, Story would have moved to 2b long ago.  No reason to think it starts here…

[notin]

3 hours ago, jad said:

Bobby Valentine still available?

f*** him. Why would anyone hire that antiquated egomaniac?

Is Joe Morgan still alive? The Sox could use a little Morgan Magic right about now…

[Hitch]

17 minutes ago, notin said:

Obvious question, but what makes you think he has blatant weaknesses like not being able to hit lefties, but his sticker was still high?  I mean, if we know his weaknesses, safe bet every scout knows them and 10 more.

Also, you phrased this like Mayer is a switch hitter.  I assume you meant “against lefties and righties”…

Because he is still young and very highly thought of in the league. In a perfect world he would have stayed in AAA and worked on his deficiencies. It's not just lefties, he has a fair bit to work on in general hitting wise. That doesn't mean he isn't an enticing prospect.

And yes, I wasn't suggesting switching hitting. 

I have more faith in Durbin hitting for average than I do Mayer. But Mayer will likely have more power. Neither are playing well enough to be given full time roles right now.

[FredLynn]

18 minutes ago, notin said:

No doubt it was a Breslow call.  Kennedy is an invertebrate. 
 

Unlike Cora, Breslow has some leverage.  They filled Cora’s job in 3 minutes.  How long does it take to replace Breslow if he gets fired?

You mean WHEN he gets fired. I think Breslow should have gone FIRST. He is the guy who gave Cora these dregs to work with. There is only so much that Cora could do with the bunch of bums Breslow put on the field. He really has to go too.

[Duran Is The Man]

11 minutes ago, notin said:

f*** him. Why would anyone hire that antiquated egomaniac?

Is Joe Morgan still alive? The Sox could use a little Morgan Magic right about now…

he's 95 years old and still breathing. surprised me. i thought he was long gone.

 

[Hitch]

19 minutes ago, notin said:

No doubt it was a Breslow call.  Kennedy is an invertebrate. 
 

Unlike Cora, Breslow has some leverage.  They filled Cora’s job in 3 minutes.  How long does it take to replace Breslow if he gets fired?

I've heard a lot over night/this morning that it was a possibly Henry call. And Henry has been around the team a suspicious amount of time recently. I never thought Kennedy had anything to do with it regardless. 

But seems to confirmed now - Brez made the call. If it doesn't lead to change for the rest of the season we will find out how long it takes to replace him. 

[notin]

Just now, FredLynn said:

You mean WHEN he gets fired. I think Breslow should have gone FIRST. He is the guy who gave Cora these dregs to work with. There is only so much that Cora could do with the bunch of bums Breslow put on the field. He really has to go too.

1. Overdramatizing the state of the roster doesn’t change that it’s not the worst in MLB.

2. It’s on field performace was with several players off to career-worst starts. (Admittedly some of these are shorter careers.)

3. Unlike Cora, Breslow likely had financial limitations.  

[notin]

2 minutes ago, Duran Is The Man said:

he's 95 years old and still breathing. surprised me. i thought he was long gone.

 

In that case, better call him quickly!!

[FredLynn]

14 minutes ago, notin said:

1. Overdramatizing the state of the roster doesn’t change that it’s not the worst in MLB.

2. It’s on field performace was with several players off to career-worst starts. (Admittedly some of these are shorter careers.)

3. Unlike Cora, Breslow likely had financial limitations.  

Don't get me wrong: Cora needed to go too. But it was Breslow that put this dung pile on the field. Cora could not make the dung into gold no matter how good a manager he was. Millar said as much in a comment: Breslow should have been the first to go.

And "not the worst" isn't sufficient. They are not competitive and will not make the playoffs. Again. There are no valid excuses for this product being put on the field.

[Bellhorn04]

The old curmudgeons, Shaughnessy and Buckley, both say Breslow is the one who should have been axed.

I guess we'll find out. 

[Cameron Tran]

Looks like the move isn't going down well with Sox players. Story wants to "clear the air" with Breslow, Whitlock said neither Henry or Kennedy spoke to the team after the fact, and players weren't asked if they thought this was a good idea. All of this per Cotillo and Milliken. Not a great look and that presser wasn't great.

[jad]

51 minutes ago, notin said:

f*** him. Why would anyone hire that antiquated egomaniac?

Is Joe Morgan still alive? The Sox could use a little Morgan Magic right about now…

Apparently the shock of the Cora news has wiped out your appreciation of irony.

[notin]

29 minutes ago, Bellhorn04 said:

The old curmudgeons, Shaughnessy and Buckley, both say Breslow is the one who should have been axed.

I guess we'll find out. 

It’s an old tactic.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  If firing Cora works, they move forward.  If it fails, Breslow is next.

A good example is Philly.  They fired Girardi and replaced him with Thomson.  The team immediately got better and even made the postseason.  Had they stayed cold and missed the postseason, Dombrowski was next up on the hot seat…

[notin]

2 minutes ago, jad said:

Apparently the shock of the Cora news has wiped out your appreciation of irony.

Much like suggestions of hiring a nonagenarian like Morgan have done with you :)

[Cameron Tran]

3 minutes ago, notin said:

It’s an old tactic.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  If firing Cora works, they move forward.  If it fails, Breslow is next.

A good example is Philly.  They fired Girardi and replaced him with Thomson.  The team immediately got better and even made the postseason.  Had they stayed cold and missed the postseason, Dombrowski was next up on the hot seat…

It sounds like John Henry and Breslow have formed a pretty solid relationship. Honestly, Breslow seems like the perfect "yes-man" for Henry 

[Bellhorn04]

7 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

Looks like the move isn't going down well with Sox players. Story wants to "clear the air" with Breslow, Whitlock said neither Henry or Kennedy spoke to the team after the fact, and players weren't asked if they thought this was a good idea. All of this per Cotillo and Milliken. Not a great look and that presser wasn't great.

Which feeds a narrative that the Sox have become a soulless corporate entity with zero people skills.

[Hitch]

18 minutes ago, Cameron Tran said:

Looks like the move isn't going down well with Sox players. Story wants to "clear the air" with Breslow, Whitlock said neither Henry or Kennedy spoke to the team after the fact, and players weren't asked if they thought this was a good idea. All of this per Cotillo and Milliken. Not a great look and that presser wasn't great.

 

Exciting times ahead.