Will Cora be back in ‘24?

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

I’m still a bit puzzled by his place. If I’m Bloom, I’m a little annoyed that the FO apparently loves the guy and Bloom was never allowed to bring in his own manager….. or, if after ‘20, Bloom was instrumental in bringing Cora back then Cora also should be gone.
I was in favor of one more year for both together to see Bloom’s plan to maturity with Cora tending the garden.
But clearly the FO loves him. I wonder how much input the new GM will have over Cora going forward and I’d be hesitant to take a position if the FO told me that he’s the manager…. Especially as I don’t think Cora is good at actually managing any longer.
But beside that, I think he’s back as manager.

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

I would guess he'll either be up or out. I doubt they'll be able to successfully sell the same untenable situation you described to any GM candidate worth hiring.

Edit: If he's in the dugout, I would guess they've hired in-house.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

No idea if they have any inside info, but NESN keeps talking about him as if he will definitely be back as manager.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

I've always been a Cora guy. But the way the team has rolled over I've had Kenough and am ready for the next managerial chapter of the Boston Red Sox

 

[Harry Hooper]

I posted this last Wednesday in the Cora, Cora, Cora thread:

Carrabis is on Tony Mazz's baseball show tonight, and he is 1,000% convinced Cora will be back next year. He essentially backed up what Cotillo wrote the other day about Cora's influence/relationship with ownership.

Carrabis meant back as manager.

I would guess he'll either be up or out. I doubt they'll be able to successfully sell the same untenable situation you described to any GM candidate worth hiring.

Edit: If he's in the dugout, I would guess they've hired in-house.

That seems on target.

 

[JimD]

Cora will be back because Kennedy has made it abundantly clear that ownership wants him as manager. The narrative is being peddled to put all the blame on Bloom and absolve Cora because he didn't shop for the groceries, Chaim did, and what is a manager supposed to do with bruised bananas that can't play defense or cheap store-brand canned goods that suck at baserunning?

 

[YTF]

Cora will be back because Kennedy has made it abundantly clear that ownership wants him as manager. The narrative is being peddled to put all the blame on Bloom and absolve Cora because he didn't shop for the groceries, Chaim did, and what is a manager supposed to do with bruised bananas that can't play defense or cheap store-brand canned goods that suck at baserunning?

If true, it will be interesting to see if/how that affects the hiring of Bloom's replacement.

 

[JM3]

Keeping everyone else in place & dropping a new CBO in with no autonomy is a really embarrassing way to do business. But it is what it is.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Keeping everyone else in place & dropping a new CBO in with no autonomy is a really embarrassing way to do business. But it is what it is.

Is this anything new, though? Seems like the choice of manager has always come from above. Cherington was overruled on Valentine, and Dombrowski was given Farrell.

 

[brandonchristensen]

I would love to start with a clean slate. I hate Cora’s style and think the team needs a shake up.

 

[YTF]

Keeping everyone else in place & dropping a new CBO in with no autonomy is a really embarrassing way to do business. But it is what it is.

Pretty much increases the odds that you're getting an inexperienced hire who is willing to make concessions in exchange for a first opportunity or retread who may not have other options. Otherwise, why would you accept those terms?

 

[Papo The Snow Tiger]

No matter what the decision is, I have a feeling that Cora's fate will be announced shortly after the season ends. Cora's going into the last year of his current contract, and FSG seems not to like lame ducks.

 

[jteders1]

Whoever you bring in, needs to hire their guy. I love Cora, he’ll hold a special place in my heart, but this team needs an over haul in management.

 

[jmanny24]

Cora will be back because Kennedy has made it abundantly clear that ownership wants him as manager. The narrative is being peddled to put all the blame on Bloom and absolve Cora because he didn't shop for the groceries, Chaim did, and what is a manager supposed to do with bruised bananas that can't play defense or cheap store-brand canned goods that suck at baserunning?

I know this is archaic but I thought it was the manager's (and players) job to work on these things. Now I know someone is gonna say, "How do we know they didn't?" For one, and these are only my opinion but Cora waved the white flag sometime in the summer and we very rarely hear about players taking extra fielding practice anymore, but everyone loves to take extra BP. Yes the players may be (very) flawed but it's hard to improve if you don't make the effort to.

 

[MuzzyField]

Ben was an internal promotion that largely preserved the status quo. They wanted to demote and keep with when DD was hired.

Bloom was an external hire, handcuff for multiple years from hiring anyone from Tampa, never hired his own manager, and is getting the Sox parting gift media treatment.

The length of the Tampa FO talent embargo bothered me.

Bloom was never able to bring his own leadership team to his new roll, particularly the really big pieces. The big pieces have been here forever and remain.

Cora and Co.!

I'm team clean slate and I didn't want him back after his "vacation."

 

[Rovin Romine]

I think he'll be back. I don't think he should be. Sometimes you just need a new voice.

 

[JM3]

Is this anything new, though? Seems like the choice of manager has always come from above. Cherington was overruled on Valentine, and Dombrowski was given Farrell.

That's... not helping convince me it's a good idea.

 

[Max Power]

Ben was an internal promotion that largely preserved the status quo. They wanted to demote and keep with when DD was hired.

Bloom was an external hire, handcuff for multiple years from hiring anyone from Tampa, never hired his own manager, and is getting the Sox parting gift media treatment.

The length of the Tampa FO talent embargo bothered me.

Bloom was never able to bring his own leadership team to his new roll, particularly the really big pieces. The big pieces have been here forever and remain.

Cora and Co.!

I'm team clean slate and I didn't want him back after his "vacation."

Bloom was running the team when he came back from his "vacation." He was in charge of the hiring process for manager for the 2021 season. Bloom said himself that he didn't expect to choose Cora at the beginning of the process, but ended up thinking he was the best guy for the job.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Bloom was running the team when he came back from his "vacation." He was in charge of the hiring process for manager for the 2021 season. Bloom said himself that he didn't expect to choose Cora at the beginning of the process, but ended up thinking he was the best guy for the job.

Yeah, and Cherington claims he made the recommendation to hire Valentine. Do we believe either?

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/sports/baseball/red-sox-front-office-describes-process-of-hiring-valentine.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

7-14 with a -27 run differential in September.

With the way the three AL West teams have played this month, there was an opportunity to make things interesting in the WC race with a strong September. The team crashed and burned instead.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I would love to start with a clean slate.

Agree

I hate Cora’s style

Disagree

the team needs a shake up.

Agree

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I think I am fine with change for change’s sake. But I really don’t think it matters much.

No manager was going to make a difference this year. Next year, whether or not this team is good is not going to turn on the manager. Either the players will play better and our new GM will construct a viable team, or that won’t happen.

If it happens, I have no reason to believe Cora will better or worse than the mythical manager X that is out there to be found. Firing a manager doesn’t make a team better. Hiring a better one does, and that’s an important part of the equation. But again, I just don’t think it matters that much.

If the Sox don’t make the right moves in the off-season, it won’t matter. And if they do, it also won’t matter very much. Maybe they find a guy who is a win or two better. Maybe they make a bad hire who is a win or two worse. But that is all we are really talking about here. Cora is not the problem holding this team back, nor is manager X the guy who is magically going to take the team across the finish line.

So, with the understanding that it just doesn’t matter, I lean slightly toward making a change just for the incremental bump that shaking things up can sometimes have. Why not? All that said, Carrabis usually knows what he is talking about, so we probably won’t find out.

 

[MuzzyField]

Bloom was running the team when he came back from his "vacation." He was in charge of the hiring process for manager for the 2021 season. Bloom said himself that he didn't expect to choose Cora at the beginning of the process, but ended up thinking he was the best guy for the job.

Sure, but…
When the people you work for are still publicly loving the guy it’s just as likely he was just taking the temperature of the room and acted accordingly.

 

[sezwho]

I think he'll be back. I don't think he should be. Sometimes you just need a new voice.

Yep, this sounds right.

I was admittedly not a Bloom guy (though I was optimistic right up until I watched JBJ run out to RF all season) but this has been a rough run for the franchise...and an even rougher look to fire him, keep Cora, and promote BOH. I think in this case I'm with the 'change for changes sake' folks, which is not a position I take often.

 

[mikeford]

I've always been a Cora guy. But the way the team has rolled over I've had Kenough and am ready for the next managerial chapter of the Boston Red Sox

I am also here. If he stays, fine but he's at the end of his leash.

If he goes, that's also completely warranted at this point.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Is this a prediction poll or a "What would you like?" poll?

 

[derekson]

Is this a prediction poll or a "What would you like?" poll?

I was wondering that too.

But teams don't really ever keep lame duck managers, do they? Cora's only got one more year on his contract; they'd have to extend them if they want to keep him. Even if FSG and Henry like him, I don't think his body of work warrants an extension or a promotion, but we'll see.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

Is this a prediction poll or a "What would you like?" poll?

Prediction

 

[gryoung]

I was against his hiring back following the Houston cheating scandal.

The Sox can, and should, do better than Cora.

If he’s back I’ll be very disappointed in the ownership group.

 

[LogansDad]

I voted yes because the guys running the team seem to love him.

Like others, I am ready to move on, though.

 

[Reardon's Beard]

Boot em

 

[AB in DC]

Keeping everyone else in place & dropping a new CBO in with no autonomy is a really embarrassing way to do business. But it is what it is.

Cora has only one more year on his contract. I think the new CBO will let him ride it out and then look for a replacement for 2025.

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

Cora has only one more year on his contract. I think the new CBO will let him ride it out and then look for a replacement for 2025.

The viability of this strategy depends on Cora being ok as a lame duck, which doesn't strike me as how he operates. How hard would it be for him to force them to force him out if they won't extend him?

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

I could certainly envision a situation where right after the season ends, there’s an announcement that the two sides have decided to part ways - which seems inevitable if the team won’t grant Cora an extension. Also possible that he moves into a different role. Everything now makes it sound like he’s returning- I suspect the Sox don’t want to appear to be forcing him out. Will be interesting; it seems 50/50 to me if he returns or not.

 

[8slim]

Cora’s a perfectly cromulent manager, but I’d dump him. Best to start fresh.

Seems like the Sox have other plans though.

 

[Remagellan]

I like Cora and would be fine with him returning. But if the GM they hire is someone from outside the organization, then I'd hope the owners would let the new GM dismiss Cora and hire their own person. No half measures...

 

[streeter88]

My core question is with the team Cora and co. were given this year, could someone else have done better?

Yeesh. If ownership promotes that guy to the FO, would be like the old corporate trick of rewarding incompetence.

Geez, Sox struggling to even get to my pessimistic prediction of 79 wins? No idea how Cora keeps his job…

Fire the guy already. Don’t bang the trash can, put him in it.

 

[YTF]

Cora has only one more year on his contract. I think the new CBO will let him ride it out and then look for a replacement for 2025.

I'm really not understanding this. Why would you place any trust in a manager in '24 that you don't trust for '25?

 

[BravesField]

For me, he was a dead man walking after the sign cheating scandal. I don't care where he ends up as long as its not in Boston (or Atlanta).

 

[simplicio]

You know what would really shake up this team?

Good starting pitching.

I'm fine with Cora staying. I don't have strong opinions about what he's doing on the field (though I'd kill for better defensive coaching), but the fact that he's seemingly well respected by baseball people and apparently bulletproof despite sabre rattling from the fan base makes me think he's got more value behind the scenes than we give him credit for.

 

[streeter88]

I would like:

1. Good SP - not Cora’s fault I know
1a. Better usage of the startling pitchers we have
2. Better defense, and emphasis on same
3. Fewer boneheaded plays - base running, throws to wrong base or cut off man, base running miscues
4. Some flexibility in strategy to account for must win games / series
5. More instances of pitchers rediscovering something due to strong pitching coaching here, rather than when the player has gone somewhere else (Barnes example)

if somehow Cora were able to conjure up some new staff to achieve those outcomes next year, then great. Otherwise a new voice is needed.

And more wins. This last place crap needs to stop

edit: gonna leave that typo in there. Reads better

 

[TheYellowDart5]

The way this team has crapped its pants down the stretch is an indictment of both Bloom and Cora, but the latter does seem to have the support of ownership; otherwise he'd probably be gone too.

I think he gets one more year with a (hopefully) better roster, but nothing about this season has suggested that he's irreplaceable, and I have to imagine the new POBO will want his own hand-picked guy, or at least the promise of being able to do so. I do think as others have said that there's a good chance Cora quits anyway instead of coming back as a lame-duck manager.

 

[ShaneTrot]

I am done with Cora. This team has collapsed down the stretch the last two years on his watch. Did Bloom not attempt to fix the pitching after all the injuries and ineffectiveness? Sure, but Cora has run the ship right into the iceberg in September.

 

[Jimbodandy]

7-14 with a -27 run differential in September.

With the way the three AL West teams have played this month, there was an opportunity to make things interesting in the WC race with a strong September. The team crashed and burned instead.

I think that the new boss should have the option to hire his/her own manager.

As far as hope for Cora's retention or dismissal, the above captures my opinion. He was dealt a bad hand with the roster and the team overperformed for parts of the season, but the uninspired play of the last month has been a red flag. I'm not sure that he has the room anymore.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

The one thing that I can’t see happening is him coming back as a lame duck manager. I think he’s gone(my strong preference and my opinion, least likely), he gets an extension, or he moves upstairs working for the new boss. A new boss with a lame duck manager is stupid for everyone.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

I am done with Cora. This team has collapsed down the stretch the last two years on his watch. Did Bloom not attempt to fix the pitching after all the injuries and ineffectiveness? Sure, but Cora has run the ship right into the iceberg in September.

I don't think it was all that awful a strategy to expect Sale, Schreiber, Whitlock and Houck to return and provide that pitching boost, along with Story for a little offensive boost over what the status quo was there and vastly improving the SS defense.... I think in the future, while it's great to have returning players that are probably (on paper) better than possible trade options in value, I think they need to have at least 2 full weeks back on the ML team prior to the deadline.

 

[LogansDad]

I am done with Cora. This team has collapsed down the stretch the last two years on his watch. Did Bloom not attempt to fix the pitching after all the injuries and ineffectiveness? Sure, but Cora has run the ship right into the iceberg in September.

Let's not forget, they didn't exactly light the world on fire in Sept of 21, either, going 13-11 before salvaging the season by sweeping a woeful Washington team, after going 12-15 in August.

 

[LogansDad]

I think that the new boss should have the option to hire his/her own manager.

As far as hope for Cora's retention or dismissal, the above captures my opinion. He was dealt a bad hand with the roster and the team overperformed for parts of the season, but the uninspired play of the last month has been a red flag. I'm not sure that he has the room anymore.

My concern is that they didn't let Bloom do this, and they had an easy out considering he was suspended for cheating.

I really think he's back next year, at ownership's behest.

 

[Jimbodandy]

My concern is that they didn't let Bloom do this, and they had an easy out considering he was suspended for cheating.

I really think he's back next year, at ownership's behest.

Maybe.

But that Cora was different from this Cora.

 

[RS2004foreever]

I think I am fine with change for change’s sake. But I really don’t think it matters much.

No manager was going to make a difference this year. Next year, whether or not this team is good is not going to turn on the manager. Either the players will play better and our new GM will construct a viable team, or that won’t happen.

This. I don't think it matters very much.