Cora, Red Sox won’t negotiate a new contract during the season

Red Sox

“Out of respect for the organization, the players, and the season, we’re not going to talk about contracts. We’ll play it out and whatever is decided is decided.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora entered 2024 without job security beyond this year.

His contract ends following this season, a season that could be categorized as a rocky one through just two months. So much so that team president Sam Kennedy said on WEEI on Thursday that Boston has “underperformed” in some areas this year.

Boston has found itself teetering around .500 for much of 2024 despite having statistically one of the best pitching staffs in MLB. Couple Cora’s impending managerial free agency with early defensive woes that rolled over from 2023 to massive offensive cold spells that have made the Red Sox noncompetitive of late, and many have begun to wonder whether or not the 48-year-old will be with Boston in 2025.

Allowing the world a tiny peek into his compelling contract situation, Cora told reporters on Friday that he and the team won’t conduct negotiations during the season.

“We’re not talking about contracts during the season,” he said ahead of the Red Sox’ game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park (h/t MassLive’s Chris Cotillo). “Out of respect for the organization, the players, and the season, we’re not going to talk about contracts. We’ll play it out and whatever is decided is decided.”

Although Cora won’t seek a new contract with Boston or any team until October, the Red Sox’ skipper doesn’t sound too down about the situation. Cora explained that he and his family are happy to be in Boston, and that’s all that matters to him right now.

“My intent is to manage today and keep helping this team to be better,” Cora said. “I think we have something good going on as far as developing players and it’s a challenge right now of course with all the injuries, but I feel really good where I’m at. I feel really good with where I’m at in my personal life, which is the most important thing. I love the Red Sox but the Cora-Feliciano team is my number one team and we’re good where we’re at.”

If Cora and the Red Sox were to split, he would surely be a hot commodity. He helped lead Boston to a World Series title in his first season as a manager in 2018. And players seem to love Cora — his dual-language abilities are a contributing factor, allowing him to connect with both English and Spanish-speaking players.

In his sixth season as Boston’s manager (2018-19, 2021-present), Cora entered Friday with a 468-399 record. He owns the fifth-most wins in Red Sox managerial history; 490 wins would move him up to fourth all-time.