The Los Angeles Angels are heading toward a managerial change, and one former Red Sox skipper is already being floated as a name to watch.
That candidate is Alex Cora, who has been away from the dugout since the Boston Red Sox fired him in April. Cora was quickly linked to the Philadelphia Phillies opening, but he turned down GM Dave Dombrowski and chose to step away from the managerial chase for a while.
For now, he’s been handling family matters in the Dominican Republic. But the sense is that he won’t stay out long, and the Angels could make sense as a landing spot.
The club has been quiet on the managerial front even as the season has gone sideways. Los Angeles has dropped 90 games and is closing in on the 100-loss mark, yet Kurt Suzuki remains in place for now. Suzuki was installed as a lame-duck rookie manager by Perry Minasian, and the Angels’ move to use an interim manager has already been viewed as a white flag - especially since that posture was apparent by early June, a major reason Minasian is no longer there.
Interim GM John Mozeliak said the purge would wait until after the season, but that didn’t stop the club from moving on from pitching coach Mike Maddux and two other coaches. Suzuki, somehow, still has the job.
The expectation is that Suzuki will be gone when the season ends, though nothing is locked in yet. Mozeliak’s contract expires in December, but he could remain with new owner Stan Kroenke, and that uncertainty opens the door for a candidate like Cora.
Cora’s appeal is straightforward. He’s viewed as a strong fit for a veteran club, which would line up with players like Mike Trout and Zach Neto.
At the same time, he’d need to adjust if the Angels lean on a younger roster, unless the organization decides to spend heavily once the labor turmoil clears. In that scenario, Cora could be working with a roster backed by a deep-pocketed owner, something that would suit him after the constant palace intrigue he dealt with in Boston.
There’s also another angle: Cora has long had interest in front-office work. He was surprised by how analytics-heavy that role can be when he got a closer look at it in the offseason, but the possibility remains that he could become Mozeliak’s GM-in-waiting if that’s the direction the Angels choose. Either way, a return to the game seems likely before long.
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