Hours after a 17-1 blowout victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, the Boston Red Sox dismissed manager Alex Cora as well as much of the coaching staff in a move that stunned Red Sox Nation. Now, fans are wondering what’s next for the team.
After a disastrous 10-17 record to start the season, the team’s Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, apparently decided that Cora’s exit would need to come sooner than the end of his contract in 2027.
The Red Sox issued a statement thanking Cora and much of the coaching staff for their hard work, while ushering in a new era to be kicked off by Chad Tracy, who, prior to being named interim manager, managed the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester.
Tracy has been coaching since 2015, which followed an eight-year career in the minor leagues and independent baseball.
Also axed were bench coach Ramon Vazquez, hitting coach Peter Fatse, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, third base coach Kyle Hudson, and major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin.
Additionally, game planning coordinator and former player Jason Varitek was removed from his role and will be reassigned in the coming days.
Tracy’s first game as manager, which happened on Sunday, did result in a 5-3 victory over the Orioles. However, his inexperience as a major league manager drew concerns from loyal fans. One such fan is NECC student Aidan Lohan, who stated “It’s like we’re in the 1920s again, and I’m worried it could get worse.” Lohan’s comparison isn’t exactly far-fetched. During the 1920s, the Red Sox had five managers, and with Tracy only serving as interim manager, the team could approach that number yet again. Tracy is the third person to manage the team this decade, with Alex Cora serving as manager from 2021 to just this past weekend, having previously held the same post in 2018 and 2019. During Cora’s one year suspension for his involvement in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, Ron Roenicke served as manager for the 2020 season.
Many Red Sox players, including Garrett Whitlock, Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, and more have publicly voiced their displeasure at the team’s actions, with a few even going so far as to claim responsibility for the team’s poor record.
However, Tracy was welcomed with open arms by those who came up in the Red Sox farm system, including the aforementioned players, as his experience as the Triple-A manager has allowed him to form bonds with the younger core of the team.
NECC student Jake Axford also made his thoughts clear on the situation, calling it “shocking, unexpected, and dramatic.” Describing the situation as a total rehaul, he further stated “It suggests to me that this is a completely new era for the Red Sox instead of minor adjustments. It’s also the first in-season manager firing under John Henry’s ownership.”
This is the first in-season firing since Jimy Williams was fired during the 2001 season, and it came at a time where the team finally started to get out of a noticeable slump. Some fans, including Axford, called it “unavoidable”, but questioned why it happened when it did.
John Mulcahy, the sports editor for the Observer, said “I’m not surprised and I don’t blame them for doing it, I’m just shocked that it happened when it did. They were finally starting to play better, and it felt oddly timed.”
Also joining the staff are Chad Epperson as the third base coach, Collin Hetzler as the hitting coach, first base coach Pablo Cabrera, and assistant hitting coach Jack Simonetty, with more changes possible in the coming days.
For now, the Red Sox will have to adjust to a new manager and a new coaching staff, with coaches promoted from Triple-A and Double-A to join Tracy’s new staff, which retains bullpen coach Chris Holt, pitching coach Andrew Bailey, catching instructor Parker Guinn, and Jose David Flores, who moves rom first base coach to bench coach.
The full results of these changes are yet to be seen, and the only thing that the loyal fans of the Red Sox can do now is wait to see what happens next.
