Alex Cora says it's time for the Red Sox to "get greedy"
BOSTON -- With the month of June nearing an end and the Red Sox sitting in the American League's third Wild Card spot, manager Alex Cora has sent a clear message to the front office: Don't just sit around at the trade deadline this year.
After the Red Sox let the deadline come and go without making any notable improvements in each of the last two seasons, Cora wants to see Craig Breslow make an impactful move to help this team ahead of the July 30 deadline. He also believes his team, which is six games above .500 and has won 10 of its last 12 games, should shoot for much more than the third Wild Card spot.
Chaim Bloom's inactivity at the deadline the last two years sent the team into a tailspin. Last year's trade for Luis Urias did little to help a team fighting for a playoff spot, and the Red Sox tanked in August. Two years ago, Bloom tried to buy and sell at the deadline, dealing away catcher Christian Vazquez while adding Eric Hosmer, Reese McGuire, and Tommy Pham. Dealing a leader like Vazquez didn't sit well with Boston's veteran players, and the Red Sox collapsed down the stretch and missed the playoffs.
Cora -- who is in the final year of his contract -- doesn't want Breslow to make those same mistakes.
"Honestly, we didn't get better," Cora said of the previous two trade deadlines. "We just stayed the same and the teams around us got better. I can walk you through the trading deadline the way I see it. There's three ways you can go: You buy, you sell, you stay put. When you stay put, there's going to be teams that, they added, and they're going to be better than you. It's not that your team was a bad team, but the other ones around you got better.
How the Red Sox play over the next five weeks will dictate the direction that Breslow goes (or the direction that ownership allows him to go) at the deadline. Boston's current streak has been fueled by the team's offense, as the starting pitching has come back to earth after a hot start to the season. At the very least, Breslow should look to add a starter to help solidify the rotation and keep the Red Sox in contention. He should be able to add some help while not tapping into Boston's pool of top prospects.
But Cora wants more than just contention. He says this team is worth investing in, and any move will just help sustain this current pace.
"We'll see what happens in a month or month and a half. We just need to keep playing better baseball. I know we've been talking about the Wild Card and all that stuff. Let's get greedy," said Cora. "There are teams ahead of us that are not playing good baseball. I know, probably, one of them, it's only for five days. But there's more out there. I think this brand of baseball, we can maintain the way we're playing.
"Let's not settle for the third Wild Card. Let's go higher and see where the season takes us," he added.
With Wednesday night's tilt against the Blue Jays suspended due to weather, the Red Sox sit percentage points ahead of the Royals for that final AL Wild Card spot right now. The team is a game behind the Minnesota Twins for the second Wild Card berth, and seven behind the Baltimore Orioles, who have lost five of their last six games.
As for aiming higher than the Wild Card, the Red Sox are eight games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Boston may not be able to overcome the Orioles or the Yankees, but Cora believes they have what it takes to earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
A little help from the front office would greatly increase their chances, and Cora is already putting that in Breslow's court.