The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches after a terrible 10-17 start, but the team’s problems are far from fixed. New details show a major disagreement between the front office and Cora, and now, the players are openly fighting among themselves.

According to a league insider, former manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had different perspectives about the roster and player positioning. And their disagreements started as early as spring training. It stemmed from the positions of Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer. Durbin plays as a third baseman for the Red Sox, while Mayers is 2B. That’s where Cora had put them. But Breslow wanted the duo to play the opposite positions. 

Notably, Durbin has created 84 total chances this season playing at third base. He has a .964 fielding percentage, and his career record is .976, putting him as one of the elite fielders. Mayer is even better with a .980 fielding percentage in 2026. 

However, these stats are from the regular season, and Breslow wanted to switch their positions before the season kicked in. Durbin has played in both positions in his career, but he has been more effective as a third baseman. Mayer, on the other hand, spent more games at third base, while his record as a second baseman is better.

This stubborn disagreement over how to handle the young roster ultimately helped push Breslow to fire Cora. Firing the manager was supposed to calm things down. Veteran Willson Contreras even said the clubhouse felt “loose” right after Cora left. However, after the series defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros, Boston was left sitting at a 13-21 record. This started a blame game.

Contreras blamed the team’s young players, saying their lack of experience was dragging the team down. Marcelo Mayer, the 23-year-old face of Boston’s future, fired right back at the 33-year-old veteran.

“That’s kind of an excuse,” Mayer said. He was irked that the 33-year-old tried to blame the younger players for the terrible performance this season. Mayer highlighted the collective effort required for winning, 

“I don’t think we’re doing a good job with runners in scoring position. When you don’t do that, you don’t score runs,” he added. 

A rookie arguing with a veteran is a bad sign for the team. It shows the players are just as divided as the front office was. Now, all eyes are on the new manager.

Chad Tracy’s early approaches signal a shift in team handling

Tracy hasn’t been exceedingly successful so far, but he has shown hints of aggression as a manager. And he hasn’t shied away from voicing his opinions. After he took over, he stuck with Cora’s defensive plan and kept Mayer and Durbin in their respective positions. Chad Tracy acknowledged that they are doing well enough and shifting them midseason might hamper their performances. 

He hasn’t tried to bring too many changes either. The new manager has spent three years with Worcester, and he has plenty of experience in the minor leagues. He knows drastic shifts in the roster can backfire. Instead, he is leaning toward observing them first and then making changes accordingly. 

His in-game tactics, particularly about sending Andruw Monasterio to pinch-hit and then replacing him with Masataka Yoshida to counter the Astros’ strategy, were praised by many. Despite the loss, he showed flashes of aggressive managing. And that’s exactly what the Red Sox currently need to turn things around. 

He also maintained a collaborative relationship with Craig Breslow. And the chief baseball officer hasn’t tried to be heavy-handed with him either. This hints toward a reset of leadership dynamics for the franchise. This could become the strongest point for Boston in the post-Alex Cora era. 

A new manager has not fixed the Red Sox yet. The players are still fighting, which hurts the team. If they want to start winning, everyone needs to get on the same page soon.