Alex Cora’s stunning firing adds new layer of appreciation to Guardians’ steadiness 

While there are plenty of days that look similar across the marathon of the MLB regular season, there are some days that make the entire sport stop. 

This Saturday was one of those days when the Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora on Saturday just hours after Boston picked up a 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. 

Although the Red Sox are in the midst of a disappointing 10-17 start to the season, Cora is a well-regarded manager in MLB who helped lead Boston to a World Series title in 2018. 

But he wasn’t without drama, as he was suspended for the 2020 season due to his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and had multiple occasions where he seemed to bristle with the team’s leadership. 

And that leadership is key given Cora worked under three different heads of baseball operations during his time with Boston, which are tough conditions for any manager to succeed in. The current head of baseball operations is former Cleveland pitcher Craig Breslow, who seems in over his skis as he tries to navigate his team’s struggles. 

Now Breslow and Co. are going to need to pay Cora the remaining amount he’s owed on his $7.25 million contract this season along with the entirety of that total next season. 

Meanwhile, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (who quietly signed a multi-year extension after the 2024 season) has won back-to-back American League Manager of the Year awards while working in tandem with president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. 

Not only do both men seem the perfect people to get the most out of the Guardians’ talented (but cheap) roster, but they both seem to have the humility needed to collaborate in a cutthroat environment. 

Stephen Vogt and Chris Antonetti look even better after Red Sox's firing of Alex Cora

Part of the reason for that success has been Vogt’s ability to connect with players up and down the roster. It helps that he has an All-World player in José Ramírez, but part of the reason the Guardians were able to make the postseason last year is because of contributions from guys like Kolby Allard and Daniel Schneemann. 

That trend has carried over into this season thanks to the success from guys like Brayan Rocchio and Angel Martínez. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have a young and inexperienced team that hasn’t been able to adapt to life without Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman. 

And the reason for that adaptation came because of Breslow, who traded Devers away in a surprising and ill-fated trade before not making a real effort to re-sign Bregman in free agency. 

Has Antonetti’s roster construction been perfect? No. Far from it. But his inaction this offseason looks a lot better given how well Rocchio, Martínez and Chase DeLauter have played this year, among others. 

The Red Sox don’t have any pop (.354 slugging percentage) and have far too many roster spots dedicated to old and/ unproductive players. Firing Cora doesn’t change that. 

And even if this season ends with the Guardians missing out on the postseason, there’s no way Antonetti makes a change at the top step of the dugout unless something world-altering happens. 

And the Guardians are better for it.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow