Fired Red Sox Pilot Alex Cora Should Find New Team Soon

After winning a Red Sox record 108 games and a World Series as a rookie manager in 2018, Alex Cora was axed for the second time. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Getty Images Alex Cora, hired and fired twice by the Boston Red Sox, is virtually certain to find his way to another team soon. Although he was the first manager fired in 2026, at least a half-dozen others are edging toward the firing line, including Carlos Mendoza (Mets), Tony Vitello (Giants), and Rob Thomson (Phillies).

Hours after Cora and his coaches got the ax from the struggling Red Sox, USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale speculated that Cora could be headed for Philadelphia. At age 50, the former major-league infielder has youth on his side. He also has a pair of World Series rings, one from the 2017 Houston Astros and another from the 2018 Red Sox.

Cora came to Boston after serving as bench coach for the Astros, whose World Series win was tainted by an electronic sign-stealing scandal that resulted in his release by the Red Sox in January 2020 and his subsequent suspension by Major League Baseball because of his alleged involvement in the scheme. Ron Roenicke managed the Red Sox during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign but went 20-36, prompting the team to bring Cora back after his year-long suspension ended. During his two stints in Boston, Cora compiled an 837-428 record but reached the World Series only once.

That was not enough to satisfy either the front office or the throng of rabid fans often referred to as Red Sox Nation. This season, chants of “Sell the Team” were aimed at owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy, and baseball operations chief Craig Breslow, a former major-league pitcher. Breslow tried to beef up the pitching staff during the off-season but most of the newcomers failed to deliver.