Alex Cora Calls Out ESPN For “Making Sh*t” Up in Firm Message to Red Sox Clubhouse

Red Sox manager Alex Cora just torched ESPN’s trade deadline coverage, and he’s not apologizing for it. The man has now called the network out for fabricating trades in their green room, which takes some serious guts. So, guess what happens when a former ESPN analyst decides to spill the tea about fake news? It gets messy, that’s what. Not to mention Cora’s throwing haymakers at his former employer, exposing how they manufacture drama during baseball’s most chaotic week. Phew!

Picture this: Red Sox players scrolling through social media, seeing their names linked to random teams in ESPN trade rumors that someone invented five minutes earlier. Tbh, it makes sense why Cora’s losing his mind over this nonsense. The man watched analysts create fictional blockbuster deals during his ESPN days, then broadcast them like breaking news to millions of fans. Well, you know what happens next? Players start panicking, agents start calling, and front offices deal with chaos over absolutely nothing. The Red Sox skipper isn’t just throwing shade for entertainment; he’s genuinely trying to shield his clubhouse from the psychological warfare that fake trade stories create.

During a pregame session, Cora got real with reporters about how he handles the trade deadline circus with his team. “Don’t read too much,” Cora said he tells his players. “I can tell them stories about ESPN in the green room, how people made s*** up – you know, trades. And I can tell them that, like, don’t believe everything that is said, you know?” The manager, who recently signed a three-year extension worth $21.75 million through 2027, knows firsthand how the media machine operates. Cora joined ESPN as an MLB analyst in 2013, giving him insider access to how the sausage gets made. “And it’s hard, because that’s what rules the world, right? You get into any social platform, and if you’re looking for baseball, then your feed is going to be full of baseball stories, right? And there are a lot of people who are very responsible with their trades, rumors, and their contacts. Others, they’re not. So just block it.”

Well, you know what they say about experience being the best teacher? Cora’s been through the media wringer before, especially during his involvement in the 2017 Astros sign-stealing scandal. That whole ordeal taught him valuable lessons about media narratives and how quickly stories can spiral. His approach to managing trade deadline speculation reflects his hard-earned wisdom about separating credible reporting from manufactured drama. The man’s telling his clubhouse to treat trade deadline coverage like social media noise – scroll past the fabricated nonsense and focus on what matters on the field.

While ESPN continues to manufacture trade drama in its studios, some teams are making actual moves that nobody saw coming. The Red Sox are one of those franchises pulling off legitimate surprises.

Red Sox reject Duran’s offers while chasing October glory.

Speaking of fake trade stories, here’s the real twist that caught everyone off guard. The Boston Red Sox just pulled off one of the season’s biggest plot twists. What started as a potential fire sale has transformed into a buyer’s market mentality, and it’s all thanks to one massive move that changed everything. Remember when everyone expected Boston to ship out Jarren Duran and Aroldis Chapman? Those days feel like ancient history now.

The Rafael Devers blockbuster to San Francisco completely flipped the script, igniting a Red Sox surge that has management thinking championship thoughts instead of rebuild mode. Bob Nightengale of USA Today confirms what many suspected: Duran isn’t going anywhere this summer. “The Boston Red Sox have no plans to trade outfielder Jarren Duran at the deadline, rejecting the San Diego Padres’ offers, and are more likely to move him this winter,” Nightengale wrote. Smart move, honestly.

When you’re chasing October glory, depth beats everything. Boston’s strategy makes perfect sense. Keep Duran through the playoff push, then potentially flip him this winter as the centerpiece for another ace to pair with Garrett Crochet. MacKenzie Gore from Washington could be that target.

Meanwhile, San Diego, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia better start dialing other numbers for outfield help. The Red Sox have officially switched from sellers to buyers, and Cora’s media wisdom about blocking out the noise becomes even more crucial when your team is making legitimate championship moves instead of just surviving fabricated ESPN drama.