Six coaches fired at once – a huge step toward rest for the Boston Red Sox. Yet, Alex Cora seems “Happy,” at least that’s what he posted on his X handle for the first time since January 8. But that’s not the case for everyone from Boston.

From Dave Portnoy to Trevor Story, no one is backing the firing of Alex Cora and his staff, and they seem to have a pretty good reason.

“It’s kind of up in the air what the true direction of the franchise is… Those are conversations that need to be had, and they’ll be had today,” opened up the Red Sox’s $140 million veteran, who is on a deal with the franchise till 2027.

Meanwhile, just hours after the Cora firing news received its spotlight, hardcore Red Sox fan Dave Portnoy slammed the club’s owner pretty hard.

“I hate John Henry so much, it’s really hard to put into words how much I hate this guy. Yes, Breslow s—s at his job… But… John Henry, not showing up to the press conference to answer questions… he just ducks out and will never be a man.”

Portnoy’s X handle is flooded with the same message in different ways, from posting Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy’s post-firing interview to bringing up the Henry as a ‘joker’ tee from the Barstool Store.  

The Boston Red Sox ended Alex Cora’s 8-season run after a 10-17 start in 2026. The decision came less than 24 hours after a 17-1 road win over the Baltimore Orioles, the largest win margin in any MLB manager’s final game since the 1900s.

Boston also dismissed five coaches during the shakeup – hitting coach Pete Fatse, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, 3B coach/outfield instructor Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramon Vázquez, and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin.

Despite that recent win, the Red Sox did not have a good Yankees series, and it looks like that was the breaking point. But even with the Red Sox not having a good start, fans were not all that mad with Alex Cora. Because Boston has more problems than just their ex-skipper.

Since 2022, the Red Sox have held a 336-339 record, the worst in the AL East. That stretch includes only two postseason appearances, with just one coming during Trevor Story’s current tenure.

This firing follows a league trend where managers lose jobs while the front office rarely faces any questions.

Like when Derek Shelton was removed from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ managerial job in 2025 after a 12-26 start to the season, ending his six-year tenure with a 306-440 record. Brandon Hyde (Baltimore Orioles) and Davey Martinez (Washington Nationals) are just two more that we will add to this list because we can have a whole new post dedicated just for that!

Meanwhile, Story noted that Craig Breslow’s explanation “was not satisfactory” after team meetings on Sunday morning.

Breslow, himself, acknowledged to the reporters that the “responsibility” falls on him as the leader of baseball operations for the team’s on-field performance. And Portnoy, too, couldn’t “make sense” of the same as to why Cora was fired, then!

Following all these conversations, Trevor Story was not in the lineup for Sunday’s game. While we cannot say for sure that it happened because the SS noted that “some of the best coaches in the world didn’t get a fair shot,” he did start all 27 games before. Intermin manager Chad Tracy has clarified the reason, though.

Reportedly, Story is day-to-day because of an adductor issue.

Meanwhile, pitcher Garrett Whitlock also made his remarks over the Red Sox’s firing call.

“Listen, they made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball and we just need to focus on playing baseball,” and mentioned that they weren’t given a chance to ask any questions.

Whitlock revealed that Breslow addressed the issue for around 2 minutes, and the interim manager Chad Tracy did the same for 5 or 6. Despite owner John Henry being there, he didn’t take the time to speak during the briefing.

Probably, that’s why Dave was referring to! Since February 2020, when they traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Henry has rarely been to a press conference to talk about his team.

These tensions have been building up all offseason with roster decisions, creating a massive imbalance across the team.

Boston carries five outfielders, four left-handed hitters, and lacks a consistent right-handed power, since they lost Alex Bregman. The team entered the year with projections suggesting no hitter would reach 20 homers in 2025. Through 25 games, Boston recorded its lowest home run total across nearly three decades with just 18 homers.

With an average of just .233 and other offensive struggles, the roster fails to reflect a correct build and misses some key bats in key spots.

The “run prevention” approach has also failed massively.

The Red Sox expected their pitching to do a decent job this season; yet, it has been anything but that.

Brayan Bello has an ERA of 9.00, and the new addition, Ranger Suarez, who was given a $130 million contract, has an ERA of 4.00 in just 5 starts. The worst is Garrett Crochet, who was supposed to be a Cy Young shout for 2026, especially after being the runner-up in 2025.

In 2026 so far, he holds an ERA of 6.30 in 6 starts, including a game against the Minnesota Twins where he earned 10 runs over 1.2 innings.

These issues reflect years of roster turnover, where key offensive talents like Mookie Betts and Alex Bregman left without proper replacement. The current lineup relies on players like Masataka Yoshida and Roman Anthony for offense.

Even in Sunday’s 5-3 win against the Orioles, Anthony went 0-for-3 with one walk and two strikeouts. And for Yoshida, in the last 7 days, he has hit at .176 BA, with 0 RBIs and a .399 OPS.

That shows why Boston ranks 28 in the league for slugging.

If the Red Sox are trying to clear house and start a rebuild, they need to do more than fire Cora.

But the guy himself won’t have problems finding replacements, especially with how the league is going for many teams.

Alex Cora will not stay unemployed for long

After all the problems, Alex Cora’s Red Sox chapter might be over, but with how teams like the Phillies and the Mets are going, he might not be sitting on the sidelines for long.

The Philadelphia Phillies are sitting at a 9-19 record with a minus-50 run differential and have just gone through a 10-game skid. That roster has veterans like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, yet scored less than 3 runs during that 10-game skid. The team’s pitching is also hanging by a thread with a 5.08 ERA (28 in the league).

Dave Dombrowski and Alex Cora have a connection, too.

While working as the Red Sox’s President of Ops, Dombrowski hired Cora in 2017, leading the franchise to their World Series win in 2018. And now, if Philadelphia decides to replace Rob Thomson after a horrific start to the season, Cora’s track record shows that he can turn the team around. After all, he took a 2020 Red Sox team that finished last (24-36) and immediately turned them into a 92-win team that advanced to the 2021 American League Championship Series (ALCS).

The other option for Cora might be the New York Mets.

The team is on a 9-19 record, too, after a 12-game losing streak and -25 run differential. Plus, Manager Carlos Mendoza is also in the last year of his contract. That adds to the pressure of getting the team to perform.

But things looked so bad during the losing stretch that many started to question the team’s mentality and the clubhouse communication. But critics have praised Cora’s communication, and this could give the team a much-needed breath of fresh air.

After getting traded to the Dodgers, Betts revealed on the All the Smoke podcast that he still watches Red Sox games because of Cora. The skipper shared that throwback clip on his Instagram Stories and reminded us of his popularity among players.

New York needs wins and a postseason appearance, especially with a payroll north of $350 million. And if they boot Mendoza, Cora might be the perfect man to take over.

The last option is the Houston Astros. They hold a 10-18 record, and this has been one of the worst starts in their history. Manager Joe Espada is also in the last year of his contract, and with the team not making it past the ALCS since his takeover, things have been hot.

What makes Cora a good fit is his time with the Astros during their 2017 World Series run, where he served as bench coach. Despite the history of “cheating,” teams often prioritize results when facing losing records and front office pressure.

A familiar voice like Alex Cora could help adjust lineups and pitching usage during this tough stretch.

Given current standings, it’s just a matter of time before Cora accepts another managerial job.