The Boston Red Sox have been one of the bigger surprises of the 2024 campaign, as their 54-46 record has them right in the thick of the American League Wild Card race. While the players deserve credit for going out and performing at a high level, manager Alex Cora also deserves his due praise for helping turn a team that was widely expected to finish at the bottom of their division into a playoff contender.
Considering the fact that he's in the final year of his contract, questions about Cora's future with the team have been swirling throughout the season. And while he had previously been murky about his standing with the team, it appears as if the two sides have in fact agreed to a new contract extension, with the final terms coming in at over $7 million per season for three years.
Via Jon Heyman:
“Alex Cora and the Red Sox are in agreement at $7M-plus per year over 3 years. Just finalizing the deal now.”
Red Sox secure Alex Cora's future with the team
Related NewsArticle continues below
Prior to this deal getting finalized from out of nowhere, it was fair to wonder whether Cora would stay in Boston past this season. He had been tight-lipped about a potential extension, and he hasn't appeared to be all that pleased with ownership's lack of financial commitment to building the roster. Rumors swirled that he could leave for another team over the offseason, and given the team's expectations entering the year, many fans assumed he was heading for the exit door after the 2024 campaign.
Instead, the team has been relatively successful this year, and that may have just convinced Cora to stick around and continue to help them out. This deal came to fruition pretty quickly, but there's no doubt that this was something that Boston and their fans had been hoping to see happen given how successful Cora's stint with the team has been
This is a huge win for the Sox, as Cora has established himself as one of the best managers in all of baseball during his time in Boston. While his involvement in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal is obviously a black mark on his legacy, he's managed to overcome that and find his way with the Red Sox. And now that he's put pen to paper, he's going to try to lead his team back to the top of the mountain just like he did back in 2018.
