After a disappointing start to the season, the Red Sox moved on from Alex Cora, but he didn’t. Though he initially refused to comment on the franchise, new details a month after the Red Sox fired him tell a different story. According to an MLB insider, the interim manager found support in Cora after stepping into his shoes.

“I don’t want to get into details, but we’ve talked, and he has been very supportive of me. He’s an amazing human being,” sportswriter Ken Rosenthal quoted Boston manager Chad Tracy in a recent Foul Territory clip. 

Cora had an amazing debut as Red Sox manager, helping the team win the World Series in 2018. He had one of the highest win percentages as Boston manager with a 620-541 record. And he also led the team to two more postseason appearances. But 2026 was his career worst. After a 10-17 start this season, the Boston front office fired Alex Cora and six coaches on April 25. The weirdest part is that they replaced him after a huge 17-1 win against the Orioles. 

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow named Tracy the interim manager for the team. And the way the front office handled the whole thing, many believed that Cora would have a bitter relationship with them. But it turned out to be quite the opposite. 

Rosenthal tried to get some comments from him shortly after the firing, but he chose not to. However, after some time, Cora himself sent the analyst a long text, sharing his actual thoughts. 

“We’re a fraternity. We take care of each other in this sport. I learned that a long time ago,” Rosenthal shared the extract of his message. 

Instead of seeing Tracy as an enemy who took his job, Cora stood by him. And Tracy himself acknowledged that Cora’s support got him through the first few weeks with the Red Sox. 

But this wasn’t a sudden bond. In fact, Tracy and Cora have been working together since 2022. Tracy managed Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox’s pipeline. Cora would frequently consult him for roster movements and often invite him to Fenway Park. 

Cora is actually close to the Tracy family. As a Los Angeles Dodgers player, he spent four seasons under Jim Tracy’s leadership and management. Alex mentioned to Rosenthal that Chad Tracy’s old man was the reason he pursued a managing career. Hence, it was difficult for him to have a bitter relationship with Chad. 

While the former and current managers share a healthy bond, the actual problem that almost created friction persists. 

Red Sox still searching for answers after managerial shake-up

The Red Sox were eight games behind the Yankees at the top of the AL East when Alex Cora was fired. They were fifth with a 10-17 record. And the main idea behind the decision was to save the season for the franchise. Now, after 6+ weeks, Boston is still in the same position with a 27-36 record. They are 4.0 games behind in the Wild Card race and 10.5 games behind in the AL East. 

Earlier in late May, Craig Breslow tried to defend firing Cora. He pointed out that there were still some positives despite the slump. 

“I certainly wouldn’t look back at our win-loss record over the last month and say it was this incredible success,” Breslow added. “But I think we’re starting to more consistently put together good at-bats.”

However, it didn’t really convince the fans, with some believing that his decisions and roster building had taken a turn for the worse. Missing out on players like Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers still creates enough noise around the chief baseball officer. 

Reportedly, Breslow even attracted criticism from the Red Sox part-owner, Theo Epstein. But he later denied such reports. Yet the scenario remains the same. There are hardly any visible improvements despite the interim manager and the players trying their best. 

They lost 9 of their last 15 games. The fans waited for a miracle turnaround that never arrived. But the newly surfaced reports offer some positives for the Boston diehards, despite the ongoing disappointments.