Alex Cora knew he was going to get fired. What he didn’t see coming — and what still bothers him — is that several coaches and players paid the price for a decision made on just 27 games of data. The former Red Sox manager said so plainly on Rob Bradford’s podcast at Baseball Isn’t Boring (WEEI), his first extended interview since Craig Breslow let him go on April 25, 2026, with Boston sitting last in the AL East at 10-17.
The Flight to Baltimore and the Dinner That Never Happened
Breslow, owner John Henry and president Sam Kennedy didn’t call. They flew to Baltimore and delivered the news in person at the Four Seasons hotel, where Cora was in the middle of organizing a dinner with his coaching staff. Kennedy later confirmed publicly that the decision was Breslow’s call as Chief Baseball Officer.
Cora didn’t come out swinging at Breslow. He actually tipped his cap to him for acting with conviction — while also noting that Breslow had «doubts about the program.» That’s Cora’s read on the executive’s mindset, not a public statement from Breslow himself. Cora also owned up to his early social media reactions — a «Happy!» post on X and a photo with his coaches on Instagram — calling them immature.
The Small Sample and the People Who Really Paid
What gnawed at Cora most wasn’t his own dismissal. It was everyone who went with him. Bench coach Ramón Vázquez, hitting coach Pete Fatse and three other staff members were all let go. Jason Varitek was «reassigned» and hasn’t returned to the organization in any official capacity since. In Cora’s view, none of them deserved to be judged on 27 games.
Context matters here. The season was built around pitching and defense after Rafael Devers‘ departure and the failed pursuit of Alex Bregman. Then Garrett Crochet got hurt, Brayan Bello was inconsistent and Sonny Gray struggled from the jump. Cora points directly at the pitching — not a front-office feud — as the real reason things fell apart.
Veteran shortstop Trevor Story said the explanation Breslow gave the clubhouse about the firing wasn’t «satisfactory.» That one line captures the mood well: a team that wasn’t broken, but couldn’t find a way to defend its manager either.
What’s Next: The Phillies, the Money and an Open Door
With a 620-541 career record in Boston — third-most wins in franchise history — Cora isn’t hurting for interest. The Philadelphia Phillies offered him their managerial job twice: once in April and again in October 2026. He turned them down both times. For now he’s choosing family time while Boston continues paying him more than $7 million remaining on his contract through 2027.
Chad Tracy, the Triple-A Worcester manager who replaced him on an interim basis, was named permanent manager on September 22. The Red Sox finished 87-75, third in the AL East — not the disaster the early firing suggested, but not quite enough to say Breslow got it completely right either.
Cora left the door open to managing again someday. He didn’t say when or for whom. What he did say clearly is that the image that stuck with him wasn’t Breslow’s flight to Baltimore — it was his coaches grabbing a cab home without ever getting a real chance to prove anything.
