Alex Cora Confirms Stance On Returning To Red Sox In 2024

The Boston Red Sox don’t have a whole lot of clarity with a full offseason ahead before 2024, but one thing has been confirmed: Alex Cora’s return.

After Boston dismissed Chaim Bloom from the front office, speculation began to swirl regarding Cora — both his future and role with the organization moving forward. Would Cora consider a front office role? Will a second straight postseason miss prompt Cora to rethink his baseball future entirely?

Well, the Red Sox received some clarity before Wednesday night’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, directly from the man himself.

“I’m good, I’ll be here,” Cora told reporters pregame at Fenway Park, according to Max Cerullo of The Boston Herald.

The last four seasons haven’t gone as planned, but Cora isn’t waving the white flag just yet. Despite a trio of dead-last division finishes since 2020 looming, the soon-to-be 48-year-old (in October) skipper wants to get the train back on track and watch the Red Sox return to their winning ways from the helm in 2024.

Obviously, that’s easier said than done.

Aside from Boston’s still-vacant front office seat, there’s plenty of work awaiting the next roster-building head honcho upon arrival. That means, similar to when Bloom arrived, some tough decisions will need to be made in order to climb out of the basement in the American League East.

Since joining the Red Sox in 2018, Cora has built an established rapport with players who have come in and out of Boston’s locker room. While 2023 was a dud overall, Cora did an unappreciated job at keeping the Red Sox competitive coming out of the All-Star break, while pitching reliability reached an all-time low.

Signaling to bullpen guys became the norm, but for a solid stretch, it proved to be sustainable throughout a last-minute AL Wild Card run that fell flat.

Having already won back in 2018, Cora knows there’s one way to rally Boston around the Red Sox once again: winning.