Why the Alex Cora extension is a huge deal for the Red Sox
BOSTON -- The Red Sox and Alex Cora agreeing to a three-year contract extension came as a bit of a surprise on Wednesday. But it's a welcome surprise because of what it means for the franchise.
With Cora signing on for three more seasons, the Red Sox have direction again. Craig Breslow wants to win, and he wants to win now, and Cora is on board for it. There is unity once again between the front office and the dugout.
Breslow was in Colorado on Wednesday to finalize the deal, and received a hero's welcome from Boston players when they broke the news in the Red Sox clubhouse.
"How do you know that this was the right decision? When I walked into the clubhouse, I got a round of applause, which means obviously those players care about him," Breslow said, via RedSox.com. "They know how special he is. I think the city of Boston knows how special he is. We're really excited about what we can do together."
The timing of the deal is surprising, and not just because it came on a day the Red Sox were trounced, 20-7, by the lowly Rockies. Cora said in spring training and at various times throughout the season that he didn't want to negotiate or talk about his contract. That created an uneasy feeling when it came to the beloved skipper in a lame-duck season, despite the team's success on the field. While the vibes were good on the diamond, there was a growing fear that Cora would be departing in the winter. Every Boston win just added to the dollar amount he would receive from a desperate contender in the offseason.
It led to speculation that Cora and Breslow -- the third head of baseball ops. during Cora's tenure as manager -- still weren't seeing eye-to-eye on things. If another trade deadline came and went without any help from the front office, it felt like Cora was as good as gone.
There had to be an indication from Breslow that the team will be active and aggressive at next week's trade deadline. Otherwise, Cora probably wouldn't have agreed to stick around.
"I've been talking to Craig for a little bit here," Cora said. "There were two things that I wanted: I wanted to win, and I wanted security for my family. And we have accomplished both."
Cora praised Breslow for becoming a "closer" and getting the extension done. It sounds like their relationship has only grown stronger over the last several months, and the chief baseball officer and manager have a clear vision for the future -- together.
"Alex and I have had a relationship for a while, but it's developed over the last eight months or whatever it is," Breslow said of his skipper. "I think in my position, you look for someone who's a partner in the manager's seat, someone who can question and challenge when it's appropriate, and do so in a productive way, who can champion what we're trying to do as an organization.
"I've seen that happen over the last several months. And beyond that, Alex is such a great connector of people. His ability to navigate a clubhouse and a front office and connect with veteran players and young players, and obviously being bilingual is an incredible benefit," he added. "But I just think through time, we've grown much more comfortable with each other. I'm super excited about where we are today and what I think the future holds."
Cora is now set to occupy the Boston bench through the 2027 season. That will give him nine seasons in Boston, which would be the second-longest tenure as Red Sox manager, trailing only the 13 seasons that Joe Cronin spent as Red Sox manager.
Cora has 494 career wins and a World Series title on his resume. In locking Cora in for three more years, the Red Sox sent a clear message that they're eager and willing to do what it takes to add to both of those totals.