Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and team CEO Sam Kennedy met with reporters on Sunday morning in Baltimore following Saturday’s firing of manager Alex Cora and five coaches.
Kennedy said the decision was made to dismiss Cora and the coaches on Saturday morning, after which he and Breslow traveled to Baltimore to inform them of the change.
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Breslow took responsibility for the Red Sox’s disappointing performance thus far with a 10-17 record and last-place standing in the American League East, saying it falls upon him and acknowledged that he gave Cora “a challenging roster to manage,” particularly with the everyday lineup.
However, Breslow stated his belief in the players on the roster and hinted that Cora may have had difficulty communicating with a young team, praising new interim manager Chad Tracy for being a “consistent, stabilizing voice” for the players.
As manager of the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester since 2022, Tracy worked with several of the young players now on Boston’s major-league roster, including Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer and Brayan Bello.
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“He’s familiar with meaningful relationships with the majority of our roster, given the young players that we do have,” Breslow said. “He’s demonstrated an ability to get the most out of that group.”
Kennedy called the Red Sox “a front office-led baseball operation,” indicating that Breslow drove the decision to fire Cora and the coaches. Breslow viewed making the change now as a “fresh start,” with 135 games remaining, giving the team “almost a full season’s worth of run.”
Red Sox players unhappy with Cora firing, lack of say in decision
Breslow said he will stay with the Red Sox to meet with players during the remainder of their road trip, which concludes Wednesday in Toronto. However, when he and Tracy met with the team on Sunday morning, there were no opportunities for players to ask questions and that didn’t sit well with experienced veterans.
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“They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball and we need to just focus on playing baseball,” pitcher Garrett Whitlock said, via the Boston Herald’s Tim Healey.
Shortstop Trevor Story was even more outspoken on the lack of explanation from team executives, saying “it’s up in the air what the true direction of the franchise is.”
“I wouldn’t say it was satisfactory,” he added, via Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz.
“They’re some of the best coaches in the world and they care more than anybody, and just felt like they didn’t get a fair shot,” Story said.
The shortstop was not in Tracy’s first lineup as Red Sox manager for Sunday’s game, but he’s currently dealing with an abductor injury. Story clarified that no grudges would be held against the new coaching staff.
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The dissatisfaction with Red Sox management and the managerial shake-up apparently extends outside the current clubhouse as well.
“It’s like s***ting your pants and changing your shirt,” the former player told WEEI’s Rob Bradford regarding the changes made.
Breslow, 45, has been the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer since October 2023, when he replaced Chaim Bloom (now the St. Louis Cardinals’ president of baseball operations). Prior to joining the Boston front office, he spent five years with the Chicago Cubs, eventually becoming assistant general manager.
