Felger & Mazz: Instant reaction to Alex Cora contract reports
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Boston Red Sox and manager Alex Cora are reportedly working toward a contract extension. With the news breaking during the Felger and Mazz program, Mazz gave his thoughts on the “shocking” news that the two sides are working toward an extension.
Jim Murray: Well that’s a big change.
Mazz: Boy is it ever..
Jim Murray: I mean, he had said, right, like, he wasn’t going have any negotiations throughout the rest of the regular season? So what happened here?
Mazz: I’m surprised.
Jim Murray: So am I. I thought he was done.
Mazz: No, I’m surprised. To me, I would call this borderline shocking news. I’m surprised I did not see this coming. I thought Cora was gone.

Mazz: Alex Cora, to me, is a big market manager.
Jim Murray: Oh, without question.
Mazz: I think he’s a guy that you bring in when you want to win championships. You give him the talent and he keeps everybody pointed in the right direction. And in the Red Sox defense, maybe they were frustrated a little bit with the last couple of years and they were unwilling to go to a certain level until he showed that. Like, “hey, are you going to fight through the deadline? Are you going to keep the team in it?” And they’re not really through the deadline yet, so let’s see what happens if they do.
