It only took one day, but the Red Sox and manager Alex Cora have “mutually parted ways” and Boston is now without a manager, just three weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida.
The mutual parting of ways comes just one day after Major League Baseball and its commissioner Rob Manfred released its investigative findings of the Houston Astros and their electronic sign-stealing during their 2017 postseason and World Series run. The Astros were found vehemently guilty by the league after former Houston pitcher Mike Fiers leaked to the media that his former team illegally used a camera in center field during home playoff games to steal signs, the film from centerfield being relayed back into their clubhouse, to the dugout and thus to their batter at the plate by banging on a trash can to signal an offspeed pitch.
While this form of highly illegal sign stealing was found to be primarily player-initiated, former Astros bench coach, Alex Cora, was the only non-player named in MLB’s final investigative report taking part in the illegal acts. Cora was mentioned by name eleven times in the nine-page report.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch were fired just minutes after MLB’s report was publicly released, which thus insinuated the inevitability of Alex Cora’s firing from his position with the Red Sox. Luhnow and Hinch were both suspended from Major League Baseball for one year. The Astros organization was also fined $5 million and both their 2020 and 2021 first- and second-round picks were taken away by the league as punishment for being found guilty of the allegations.
Not only did Cora steal signs electronically with the Astros as a bench coach, but he also took his illegal acts to Boston, as well, as soon as he was hired as John Farrell’s replacement at manager. As of right now, the Red Sox allegedly used their home video replay room within their home clubhouse to steal and decode signs during the 2018 regular season, which is against league policy. Rules were heightened and became stricter in regards to who and how many people were allowed to enter their replay room before the start of the 2018 postseason.
The moment the report was released and thus the moment Luhnow and Hinch were fired by Houston, it became immediately apparent that Alex Cora was out of a job with the Boston Red Sox after just two seasons. Jeff Passan of ESPN, twenty minutes after he broke the news that Luhnow and Hinch were out of jobs in Houston, stated on Twitter that Cora’s punishment would “be far longer”, even further cementing his inevitable departure from the team.
MLB’s investigative report into their findings in regards to their separate investigation of the Red Sox and their allegations of electronic sign-stealing remains incomplete, at least publicly. However, one can surmise that Cora’s looming punishment will, in fact, be longer than that of his former colleagues in Houston based on his near-immediate dismissal of employment by the Red Sox. While some have mentioned a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball, similar to that of infamous gambler Pete Rose’s permanent banishment from the league, feels far-fetched, it would not be shocking to see Cora be suspended from the league for two years.
The Red Sox were essentially forced to fire Cora based on what was stated in MLB’s official report. For example, manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow of the Astros were only mentioned once each in the eleven-page report. Cora blatantly played a major role in the preparation of and actual acts of sign stealing with the Astros as a bench coach during their 2017 postseason and eventual World Series run. Cora was the ringleader and had a master scheme to steal signs in the most illegal way possible in baseball.
Not only that, but he continued these unfortunate acts into his tenure with the Red Sox as manager. While his acts were not nearly as severe with the Red Sox in 2018 as they were with the Astros in October of 2017, the combination of the two put the Red Sox and their front office in an extremely uncomfortable situation. The Red Sox have a proud, emphatic love for Cora as a former player and as the leader of their baseball team; the moment they hired Cora as a manager, every decision-maker and every player for the team expressed their love for him.
Now, their historic 2018 World Series title is stained. It should not be asterisked, and it is certainly not fake. However, it is stained. No illegal acts are currently known to have been committed by Cora or the team in October of 2018, but it certainly is not as sweet as it was just a couple of days ago and on that fateful late October night in 2018. The Red Sox had to let go of Alex Cora in order to retain any moral high ground the organization previously possessed. Again, for example, Luhnow and Hinch were fired by the Astros despite their minimal role in the illegal sign-stealing acts of 2017. If Boston were to cling on to and stand by Alex Cora despite his presence in two separate allegations and acts of sign stealing, they would lose any and all credibility that has already been dwindling for some time now.
I fully anticipated and expected the Red Sox to do this based on history. Owner of the Red Sox and local newspaper The Boston Globe, who has notoriously attempted to cover up negative and newsworthy events within the baseball team and organization since his ownership of the team began in 2002, John Henry, has done so numerous times. The Red Sox are famous for hiding negatively influential moves, decisions and injuries and the Globe is famous for under-reporting on said negatively influential news stories when they do become public. I was ready to see the team stand by their man since the day he was hired two years ago now. John “Senile” Henry and his crew put on their big boy pants and grabbed ahold of their integrity today and said goodbye to Cora, against all odds.
Where do the Red Sox go from here? I don’t think anyone has the answer to this looming question, unfortunately. Pitchers and catchers report in about three weeks and the team is currently without a manager. Mookie Betts could be traded at any point between now and the moment he hits free agency after the completion of the upcoming 2020 baseball season. The team has made not a single significant move over the last two-and-a-half months of the offseason, singing no-namers such as starting pitchers Chris Mazza and Martin Perez, catcher Kevin Pławecki, shortstop Jose Peraza and bringing back relief pitcher Heath Hembree. Woop-dee-doo!
It’s safe to call Boston’s 2020 season a lost cause. If you thought 2019 was a tough enough season to watch, you’re in for a treat this year. As a fan, it’s going to be extremely hard to watch. For the first time in my life, I intentionally avoided watching and following the Red Sox in 2019. Baseball was my first love; I’m an aspiring baseball beat writer, for crying out loud. But I just couldn’t put myself through that kind of torture, watching my beloved Red Sox give up on the season only a couple of months in. Without a legitimate manager in Alex Cora and knowing that some of the team’s best players are out the door in a matter of months, what’s the point in rooting for them and genuinely following them? As a spoiled, 18-year-old Boston sports fan, I’ve never really experienced anything like I’m about to experience with my Boston Red Sox.
Seeing Luhnow, Hinch and Cora get canned and reading MLB’s report on the Astros has been some of the wildest sports-related stories and events I’ve ever followed in my short lifetime. It’s been fascinating to watch unfold and be able to now write about and articulate my thoughts and opinions. It is, however, unfortunate that it has to come at the hands of my favorite baseball team and once-beloved manager.
I’m not sure where the Red Sox as a team and organization go from here. I’m assuming bench coach Ron Roenicke will take over as interim manager for the 2020 season until the team can find a viable replacement for Cora. Yay, I guess? As a writer, this entire situation and continually unfolding and developing story is enthralling to follow and write about; however, as a fan, this hurts. Cora stole my heart as a baseball fan after suffering through years of mediocre and failed managers attempting to lead my favorite team after the unfortunate departure of Terry Francona back in 2011. I could have sworn Cora would be here for a decade-plus, completely changing the culture of the Red Sox forever, being a young, relatable leader that his teammates adored. Nope, we’re on to the next one because he couldn’t help but get that slight competitive edge in not one but two organizations. That sucks, and it sucks a lot. He let so many fans down and he let his players as well as bosses down. He put this team in a truly awful situation.
Hear me out…Dennis Eckersley for Red Sox manager in 2020, anyone?
Comments