Alex Cora Addresses Trade Deadline Amid Red Sox’s Struggles

Alex Cora has seen the Red Sox take different approaches to the Major League Baseball trade deadline since he claimed the helm in Boston six years ago.

In 2018 and 2021, the Red Sox front office went into buying mode to add support to winning clubs that were World Series contenders. But in 2022, ongoing struggles motivated Boston to sell off pieces before the deadline passed.

It remains to be seen how the Red Sox will operate this season. Cora’s club is one game under .500 entering Wednesday, and the July 30 deadline still is seven weeks away. Cora, who’s been around the big leagues since 1998, knows that time period will determine how Craig Breslow and company handle their business.

“Nobody in the dugout, as a manager, would say they want the team to sell,” Cora told reporters before Tuesday’s home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. “But I understand where we’re at as an organization and we’ve just got to keep playing better. We have to play better. Whatever decision is made is going to be the decision that is going to be made and we’re going to respect it and we’re going to keep going. I think Craig (Breslow) has a pretty good idea of who we are and what we can be in the upcoming weeks, but at the end of the day, that scoreboard with the standings is going to dictate what we’re going to do later on.”

The Red Sox will be tested to improve their spot in the standings this week. After two more games against the Phillies, Boston will host the American League-best New York Yankees for a three-game set starting Friday.