The Red Sox could have waited until another year to decide Alex Cora’s long-term fate. But after a tumultuous three-year period of overturn, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom pulled the trigger on managerial stability long before he had to.
On Monday morning, the Sox announced they had exercised their club option over Cora for 2023 and 2024, essentially extending his contract for three more seasons. Bloom, who needed to be convinced to bring Cora back for a second stint as manager just over a year ago, apparently needs no more convincing. Boston’s 92-70 record and unexpected run to within two wins of the World Series appears to have been enough.
“It was clear to me and to all of us here that going forward with Alex in a longer-term partnership would be good for everybody,” Bloom said. “Once we knew that, it made sense to formalize it as soon as possible.”
When Bloom was originally hired in Oct. 2019, he inherited Cora, who was just over a year removed from a World Series title in his first year at the helm. But things quickly changed, as Cora was implicated as a key player in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, then let go and subsequently suspended for a year. As Bloom navigated his first season with Boston, it was Ron Roenicke -- and not Cora -- managing. The Sox finished in last place, Roenicke was fired and Bloom had to search for a manager for the second time in less than a year. A process that has been described as all parties as intense and emotional led the Red Sox back to Cora.
One year later than expected, the Bloom-Cora partnership got its first opportunity to flourish over the course of a season. It was bumpy at times, but the two men gained a mutual respect for each other through the nine-month grind. It was the times in which things weren’t going so well, Bloom said, that their relationship grew the most.
“I think through those moments, and being able to listen to each other and support each other, is really where you learn what your partnership is about,” Bloom said. “Despite having a very successful season, on any given day, not everything was always going right. Finding out who someone is during those moments is as important as anything.”
Between John Farrell’s firing in Oct. 2017 and Cora’s re-hiring a year ago, the Red Sox held three managerial searches in a three-year span. Bloom had two under his belt within 13 months of being hired. If all goes to according to the franchise’s plan, Cora -- who is widely regarded as one of the best managers in baseball -- will remain for a long time.
“He combines a lot of different qualities that help bring the best out of players,” Bloom said. “His feel for the game of baseball, his intellect -- just the way he notices things on the field and is able to combine it with the preparation that he does to maximize what goes on, on the field and what happens in every game is as good as anybody’s. As a leader and as a motivator, he can really help take a clubhouse to another level.
“He’s a tremendous leader and a wonderful partner for what we’re trying to do as an organization,” Bloom said. “We have a lot to be proud of from 2021 and a lot of unfinished business. I’m excited we get to go forward for a long time with Alex continuing to push toward our goals.”
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