Red Sox Fire Manager Alex Cora, Five Others In Shocking Housecleaning

[Steve Drumwright]

 

The Boston Red Sox, off to a 10-17 start, fired manager Alex Cora and five members of the coaching staff Saturday in an early-season stunner. A sixth coach is being reassigned.

Hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major-league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired by the Red Sox. Game-planning coach Jason Varitek is considering a possible reassignment.

Chad Tracy, the 40-year-old manager of Triple-A Worcester since 2022, has been named interim manager.

"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,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a released statement. “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."

A Statement from the Boston Red Sox:

[image or embed]

— Red Sox (@redsox.com) April 25, 2026 at 4:50 PM

The moves came shortly after the Red Sox pounded out a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles snapped a four-game losing streak.

Despite that offensive showing, the Red Sox were last in the AL East and had a .667 team OPS, which ranks 26th out of 30 teams, and ranked 20th in runs scored with 112 in 27 games (4.15 per game). Entering Saturday, the Red Sox had lost four straight and six of seven.

Cora's contract runs through 2027 and has just over $13.5 million remaining following an extension in 2024.

Cora led the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship following a 108-54 record in his first season as an MLB manager. Cora compiled a 620-541 record, missing the 2020 season as a result of a suspension for his involvement in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. He was initially fired by the Red Sox in January 2020, then rehired after the season. After posting winning records in his first three seasons, the Red Sox finished 78-84 in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons and 81-81 in 2024. Boston went 89-73 last year. His 620 wins are the third-most in Red Sox history.

The Red Sox made the postseason just twice in the eight seasons since winning it all in 2018, losing to the Houston Astros in six games in the 2021 AL Championship Series, then falling to the rival New York Yankees in the final game of the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series last year.

Double-A Portland manager Chad Epperson will become the third base coach and Worcester hitting coach Collin Hetzler will join the Red Sox's hitting staff.

Cora also played four seasons as an infielder for the Red Sox, including being a member of the 2007 World Series championship team. His last season as a player was in 2011.

 

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[a700hitter]

Good riddance.

[jad]

Glad Captain Cheap-Shot is gone as well, since any blame Cora gets should be shared with his staff.  Alas, we already know the problem with this team isn't in the dugout.   There's no Billy Jurges out there to save things, but there might well be a Bobby Valentine out there somewhere that could be had with a low-ball offer.

[Old Red]

I still remember when Bloom got fired, and Cora had that smug look on his face, and said I’M SAFE. Probably doesn’t have the same look now.🤔

[notin]

Per FOX, Chad Tracy will be interim…

[jad]

Even on a national broadcast (LAD vs. Chi), they are speaking of the Red Sox being extremely good at scapegoating.

[notin]

5 minutes ago, jad said:

Even on a national broadcast (LAD vs. Chi), they are speaking of the Red Sox being extremely good at scapegoating.

I heard that, but I’m not entirely sure this was scapegoating…

[mvp 78]

19 minutes ago, notin said:

I heard that, but I’m not entirely sure this was scapegoating…

Cora flat out sucked since 2023. 

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Cora flat out sucked since 2023. 

2025 was better than 2019, 2020 and 2022.

[mvp 78]

22 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

2025 was better than 2019, 2020 and 2022.

The winning % was better, Cora wasn’t.

[Tedballgame]

They forgot to fire Breslow.

[notin]

52 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

2025 was better than 2019, 2020 and 2022.

2020 wasn’t Cora.  That was Ron Roenicke…

[illinoisredsox]

2 hours ago, Tedballgame said:

They forgot to fire Breslow.

Breslow fired the staff.  Doesn’t mean his ass isn’t on the line.  I’m guessing he doesn’t survive the season.

[iortiz]

Wow!

[iortiz]

Feels like this team is run by a mafia.

 

just sell the team man. 

[jad]

Part of my summer near daily ritual is listening to the pre-game and I will really miss Cora's drawling and genial  litany of sports cliches just as I did Francona's.   But his reponse to the Houston scandal made me a fan:   the players sang like canaries; Cora openly discussed the history of sign stealing  in the Puerto Rico league as I recall and was the only one not to throw anyone else under the bus.   He won't be out of work long.

[mvp 78]

7 hours ago, illinoisredsox said:

Breslow fired the staff.  Doesn’t mean his ass isn’t on the line.  I’m guessing he doesn’t survive the season.

Henry fired everyone. Breslow is getting the next two years at least.

[mvp 78]

7 hours ago, iortiz said:

Feels like this team is run by a mafia.

 

just sell the team man. 

It’s the same org the traded Mookie. 

[Hitch]

1 hour ago, jad said:

Part of my summer near daily ritual is listening to the pre-game and I will really miss Cora's drawling and genial  litany of sports cliches just as I did Francona's.   But his reponse to the Houston scandal made me a fan:   the players sang like canaries; Cora openly discussed the history of sign stealing  in the Puerto Rico league as I recall and was the only one not to throw anyone else under the bus.   He won't be out of work long.

Mets and Phillies rosters are built for him. 

[Old Red]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Henry fired everyone. Breslow is getting the next two years at least.

TG Brez is still in charge. He created the Raffy Circus, but this dwarfs that, and everything else. 🤮

[notin]

3 hours ago, jad said:

Part of my summer near daily ritual is listening to the pre-game and I will really miss Cora's drawling and genial  litany of sports cliches just as I did Francona's.   But his reponse to the Houston scandal made me a fan:   the players sang like canaries; Cora openly discussed the history of sign stealing  in the Puerto Rico league as I recall and was the only one not to throw anyone else under the bus.   He won't be out of work long.

Is that Cora’s version of the Houston scandal?  

This is a very mafia-esque view on ethics and integrity…

[notin]

2 hours ago, Hitch said:

Mets and Phillies rosters are built for him. 

Mets aren’t a flawed roster?

[Hitch]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

Mets aren’t a flawed roster?

Sure, but it's the younger/developing rosters he has an issue with I'd say. There's a lot of superstars at the Mets that would love his way of managing.

Not to mention he won't get any heat for how this season goes. I'd pick the Mets over Philly any day. That said he has a great relationship with DD which will count for a lot.

[notin]

13 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Sure, but it's the younger/developing rosters he has an issue with I'd say. There's a lot of superstars at the Mets that would love his way of managing.

Not to mention he won't get any heat for how this season goes. I'd pick the Mets over Philly any day. That said he has a great relationship with DD which will count for a lot.

While DD did hire him, I have no idea what their relationship is.  But the Phillies are massively underperforming right now and I’m sure Rob Thomson is on the hot seat as well. Ironically he got the job because of the ladt Phillies’ slow start.

Even if Cora’s relationship with DD has soured, I’d still take that job over the perennially misguided Mets.  The Phillies players are underperforming, this is true.  The Mets’ roster is a mishmash of overpaid decline, under-talented arms, and Juan Soto and Lindor. Go there and Cora’s ceiling is avoiding being the scapegoat.

 

[Hitch]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

While DD did hire him, I have no idea what their relationship is.  But the Phillies are massively underperforming right now and I’m sure Rob Thomson is on the hot seat as well. Ironically he got the job because of the ladt Phillies’ slow start.

Even if Cora’s relationship with DD has soured, I’d still take that job over the perennially misguided Mets.  The Phillies players are underperforming, this is true.  The Mets’ roster is a mishmash of overpaid decline and under-talented pitching.  But with Juan Soto.  Go there and Cora’s ceiling is avoiding being the scapegoat..

Apparently it's a very strong relationship according to pretty much all the journos.

My worry with the Phillies from a going there pov is that they have a very high payroll and a good chunk of aging players on long contracts ballooning that payroll. I could see them getting into a bad place in the next few years.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

14 minutes ago, notin said:

Is that Cora’s version of the Houston scandal?  

This is a very mafia-esque view on ethics and integrity…

Two words that somehow never get used when discussing sign inventing -- which has also been a part of the game since the beginning of time to deceive the opponent.  

Sign inventing and sign decoding have always been done furtively to get an edge on the opposition. Maybe the semantics -- using the term "stealing" -- just bothers some people too much... (but then, why isn't Rickey Henderson in the Hall of SHAME?).

I don't know Alex Cora personally, and don't agree with a lot of his managerial strategies, but I'll always view the story in Houston as the most overblown about baseball history in baseball history.

 

[notin]

4 minutes ago, Hitch said:

Apparently it's a very strong relationship according to pretty much all the journos.

My worry with the Phillies from a going there pov is that they have a very high payroll and a good chunk of aging players on long contracts ballooning that payroll. I could see them getting into a bad place in the next few years.

The Mets’ payroll situation is actually worse…

[notin]

6 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Two words that somehow never getii used when discussing sign inventing -- which has also been a part of the game since the beginning of time to deceive the opponent.  

Actually, the use of signs in baseball dates back to the 1880’s, where they were reportedly first used to communicate on field with a deaf player on the Washington Senators named Billy “Dummy” Hoy.   Hoy was a talented base stealer, but once on base his manager had no other way to communicate with him.

Signs were originally an accommodation, not a deception…

[Hitch]

10 minutes ago, notin said:

The Mets’ payroll situation is actually worse…

But with a guy to which money is no issue. Whether he'll keep doing that is another question, mind.

[notin]

3 minutes ago, Hitch said:

But with a guy to which money is no issue. Whether he'll keep doing that is another question, mind.

Thats the issue.  When does the Cohen Gravy Train leave the station for good?  It will depart, but it’s not scheduled just yet…