It's official: Alex Cora is coming back to Boston.
The Red Sox announced Friday that Cora has been named the team's new manager, agreeing to a two-year contract that runs through the 2022 season. Cora's deal also includes a two-year club option for 2023 and 2024.
Multiple reports surfaced Friday morning that the Red Sox had hired Cora, whose season-long suspension related to the Houston Astros' 2017 sign-stealing scandal ended last week. It turns out those reports were accurate, with Cora returning to the club he managed in 2018 and 2019.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to manage once again and return to the game I have loved my entire life," Cora said in a statement provided by the Red Sox. "This past year, I have had time to reflect and evaluate many things, and I recognize how fortunate I am to lead this team once again. Not being a part of the game of baseball, and the pain of bringing negative attention to my family and this organization was extremely difficult. I am sorry for the harm my past actions have caused and will work hard to make this organization and its fans proud. I owe John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, Sam Kennedy, Chaim Bloom and Brian O'Halloran my gratitude for giving me another chance. I am eager to get back to work with our front office, coaches, and especially our players. Boston is where I have always wanted to be and I could not be more excited to help the Red Sox achieve our ultimate goal of winning in October."
Ron Roenicke served as Boston's manager for the 2020 season after Cora and the Red Sox mutually parted ways in January on the heels of an MLB investigation into whether the team illegally stole signs in 2018.
Cora guided Boston to a World Series title in 2018, a season in which the Red Sox won a franchise-record 108 regular-season games.
