Alex Cora is no longer a lame duck manager. The Red Sox announced Wednesday evening that they have agreed to a three-year extension with Cora that will keep him in Boston through the 2027 season.
ESPN's Jeff Passan and Buster Olney were the first to report earlier Wednesday that, after months of silence from both sides, Cora and the Sox had recently engaged in extension talks and that "momentum" was being made towards a new contract.
Olney reports that the three-year extension is worth $21.75 million total, which makes Cora the second-highest-paid manager in baseball behind the Cubs' Craig Counsell.
Cora was in the final year of his contract and would have potentially been the top free-agent manager on the market after the season had he not signed a new deal.
Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said multiple times on The Greg Hill Show that the decision on Cora's future would ultimately be made by Cora himself and new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and that such a decision would take time as the working relationship between those two evolved.
“I had a tremendous amount of respect for Alex long before I took this job; that respect has only grown these last several months,” Breslow said in a statement. “He is an incredible people connector, something I have enjoyed watching firsthand. He has embraced Boston’s passionate fans and we share a desire to win as much as they do, both in 2024 and in the future. I’m happy to be able to extend our commitment to Alex, and I look forward to our partnership continuing to grow. I congratulate him, Angelica, and their family.”
Cora had said that he did not want to discuss a new contract during the season, but obviously that changed at some point recently.
“Today is about the Cora-Feliciano family,” Cora said. “We love Boston and are very comfortable here. The Red Sox gave us a chance back in 2017 and doubled down on us prior to the 2021 season, and I’m happy to say our future is here as well. I’d like to thank John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, Sam Kennedy, and Craig Breslow for their confidence in me. I’m excited about not only where we are as an organization, but also where we are going.”
Extending Cora could prove to be an even more important move than any trade Breslow might make. Cora is in his sixth season as Boston's manager and has a record of 494-417 (.542) in that time. He led the Red Sox to a World Series title in his first season in 2018.
Following Wednesday's 20-7 loss to the Rockies, the Red Sox now have a record of 54-47 on the season, sitting one and a half games out of the final wild card spot in the American League.
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