Red Sox, Alex Cora agree to surprise contract extension
The Boston Red Sox and manager Alex Cora have reportedly agreed to terms of a three-year contract extension.
UPDATE: The Red Sox officially announced Cora’s extension on X.
After months of questions about the future of Red Sox manager Alex Cora, it seems some certainty is on the way. The resolution may not be what many expected.
For the most part Cora – whose current contract is set to expire at the end of the season – did not discuss his future with the Red Sox this season. The most recent update came on Opening Day, when Cora said he hadn’t discussed a new deal with the team.
While nothing had been said publicly since then, clearly there were talks behind the scenes. That progress was finally made public on Wednesday, when ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report that Cora and the Sox were nearing an agreement on a long-term extension.
It only took a few hours for the details of the extension to come out. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Cora is getting a three-year deal worth over $21 million per year. That would make Cora the second-highest-paid manager in baseball behind Chicago Cubs skipper Craig Counsell, who got a five-year, $40 million contract back in November.
That price reflects Cora’s standing in the league. Had his contract run out, he was expected to be one of the most sought-after free agent managers in recent history. Instead, the Red Sox are now in line to keep him in the organization for the foreseeable future.
Cora’s first stint with the Red Sox came as a player, from 2005-2008. After he retired he got into coaching and was the Houston Astros’ bench coach in 2017 before being hired as the Red Sox manager in 2018. In his first year with the club the team won the World Series, but Cora and the Red Sox mutually parted ways following the 2019 season due to his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Prior to the 2021 season Cora was re-hired by the Red Sox, starting his current contract. Over his five-plus non-consecutive seasons, Cora has posted a 493-412 record with the Red Sox, with two trips to the playoffs and the one World Series win in 2018.
This is a developing story, and will be updated…
