Red Sox manager Alex Cora drawing ‘strong interest’ from multiple teams
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote in his Sunday Notebook that several teams around the league have “strong interest” in manager Alex Cora.
The skipper’s contract is set to expire with the Red Sox at the end of the 2024 season.
“Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s record-setting, five-year, $40 million contract, may last only one year,” wrote Nightengale. “Several teams have already expressed strong interest in Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who’s a free agent after the season.”
According to MassLive’s Christopher Smith, Cora declined comment on the Nightengale report when the outlet reached out to him.
Cora told reporters at the winter meetings in Nashville that his focus is making the current team better.
I understand how it works,” Cora said at the winter meetings. “I know this is something we’re going to discuss. We’re going to talk (in) time. But I think right now from my end, I’m not being selfish. I think the most important thing right now is to make this team better. We’re in the process now of trying to acquire guys, and there’s talks about trades and all that stuff. So let’s do that first. Whenever they want to talk about it, we’ll talk about it. We’ll see what happens.”
Cora won a World Series with the Red Sox in his first year as manager in 2018. He owns a 440-370 regular season record (.543 winning percentage), and has a 17-8 record in the postseason. Boston has not made the playoffs in the last two years.
New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was asked about Cora’s lame duck contract situation at the GM Meetings in November and the possibility the manager could receive an extension this winter or during spring training.
“Those conversations take place between Alex and me when the time is right,” Breslow responded. “He is preparing for the 2024 season; I’m preparing for a 2024 season. Beyond that, I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to speak to.”
There’s speculation around the league that if Cora hits the open market, he will receive a contract that will rival the one the Cubs issued to Craig Counsell this winter.
Counsell received a five-year, $40 million deal, which essentially doubled his yearly salary he earned with the Brewers. According to Nightengale, Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre held the previous record for managers, earning $7.5 million from the Yankees after winning four world championships in a five-year span from 1996-2000.
