The Boston Red Sox have turned their 2026 season around without Alex Cora, but the former manager still sounds like a man who isn’t done with baseball.
Boston moved on from Cora after a 10-17 start on April 25, and the interim tag hasn’t slowed Chad Tracy down. The former Triple-A Worcester skipper has gone 54-39, pushed the Red Sox to 64-56, and left them with a 96.7% chance of making the postseason. From July 3-July 22, Boston ripped off 15 straight wins, matching its 1946 Ted Williams-led franchise record.
Cora, though, remains on the outside looking in. Asked by Karl Ravech on the "Dirt From the Dugout" podcast whether he plans to coach again, Cora kept the answer simple: "I think at one point I'm going to get back.
When? We don't know."
That uncertainty has not closed the door on a return. It just leaves the timing up in the air, with Cora’s family still a major part of the picture.
MassLive reported that the day after Boston fired him, Philadelphia Phillies president and former Red Sox chief baseball officer Dave Dombrowski offered Cora the Phillies job. Cora passed, wanting to spend more time with his family, and Dombrowski instead hired Don Mattingly.
The Phillies have since had their own turnaround. After Rob Thomson’s club stumbled to a 9-19 start, Mattingly has guided Philadelphia to a 55-39 record.
Cora’s market still makes sense because his baseball résumé speaks loudly enough on its own. He left Boston with a split reaction from the fanbase, but his 2018 World Series title and 620 wins, third-most in franchise history, keep him firmly in the conversation whenever a high-level opening comes up.
And that’s why the next stop feels inevitable, even if the calendar isn’t. With the managerial carousel always spinning and the 2027 season carrying the threat of a lockout, a true contender is likely to come calling when the timing lines up.
The New York Mets fit that mold, at least on paper. They have been one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season and, after firing Carlos Mendoza in the middle of his third year, need a long-term answer in the dugout.
Another possible fit is a reunion with the Houston Astros. Joe Espada has not been able to pull the Astros clear of a crowded AL West race, and Cora’s past with the club gives that option some obvious appeal if Houston decides it wants to chase its old World Series standard again.
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