Alex Cora seemingly had a lot going for him in the race to become Boston Red Sox manager.
Former MLB general manager Jim Duquette on Friday cited four reasons why he believed Cora was a "better" candidate than any other Red Sox managerial hopeful. Boston reportedly decided to re-hire Cora after a search, which presumably included other prospective managers.
Here's why Duquette believes Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom ultimately settled on Cora.
"The most important relationship in any organization is the manager-general manager relationship," Duquette said on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio. "If you're not on the same page, if you're constantly butting heads, it just doesn't work. And so your tendency on the GM side, you want to pick somebody that you can trust, that you know and you have a built-in relationship with.
" ... I think Chaim, if you really break it down, Alex is the better candidate when you look at all things considered. Regardless of the fact that whether he has a good relationship (with Bloom), a longstanding relationship or not. He's got the experience now, he's won there, the fan base, the players obviously love him. So I think it would have been almost impossible for him to choose anyone else."
We don't know yet who the other contenders were. They surely have strengths required for consideration, but none can match Cora's record, reputation and built-in relationships with the Red Sox.
Boston hasn't announced its managerial decision yet. When it happens, the perspective Duquette offers will make the Red Sox's decision even more understandable.
