If the Red Sox Fire Alex Cora and Keep Craig Breslow, It Would Be Their First Real Sign of Conviction in Years

By: Chris Felico

The Boston Red Sox have spent the last half-decade wading in the waters of indecision. Since the 2018 World Series, this franchise has toggled between retools and resets, contenders and pretenders. The one constant through all of it has been Alex Cora — the dugout fixture who, for a time, many believed was not only the heart of the clubhouse but potentially the heir apparent to the baseball operations throne.

But now, as the Red Sox find themselves drifting through another disappointing season, the conversation has shifted. Craig Breslow, a second year chief baseball officer who wasn’t even Boston’s first — or second, or fifth — choice for the job two off seasons ago, is still sitting in a seat of significant power. And for the first time, whispers of choosing between Cora and Breslow are turning into something louder, more deliberate.

Jermaine Wiggins of Audacy didn’t hesitate to rip the band-aid off:

“Cora will be gone by All-Star break,” he said bluntly. “They’re going to continue to play like this… I think it’s time to pull the band-aid off. What’s 14 million or whatever you owe him?”

While some may see moving on from Cora as reactionary — or even unfair — the truth is, if the Red Sox were to let Cora go and double down on Breslow, it wouldn’t necessarily be about blame. It would be about belief. Not belief in immediate results, but belief in a long-term vision — something this team hasn’t truly committed to since Dave Dombrowski was sent packing in 2019.

A Choice the Red Sox Have Avoided for Years

Cora isn’t just a manager. He’s long been viewed as part of the Red Sox's institutional identity — a bilingual, media-savvy, player-friendly leader who can deftly navigate both the clubhouse and the press room. He returned to the team in 2021 with the blessing of ownership after serving a one-year suspension, and his presence has loomed large ever since.

He was, at one point, the guy. If there ever came a time where a baseball ops shakeup was needed, many assumed Cora could transition upstairs into a President of Baseball Operations role. And yet here we are, with the team 30–34 and the manager himself saying:

“We keep making mistakes… and I have to take the blame for some of it.”

It’s rare for an MLB manager to say the quiet part out loud. And when they do, it’s usually because they know the walls are closing in.

The Road Not Taken (Until Now?)

Letting go of Cora wouldn’t be the easy move. He’s respected league-wide. He’d be hired in a heartbeat. And Breslow? Let’s be honest — he was closer to the tenth option than the first when the Red Sox were hiring a new baseball chief.

But if ownership finally decides to side with Breslow and hand him full autonomy to build the organization in his vision, it would mark something we haven’t seen from Boston in years: conviction. Not just loyalty to a personality. Not just appeasement of the fans or media. Not just keeping Cora because he “feels” like the face of the franchise.

It would mean backing a direction. Even if it’s uncertain. Even if it fails.

That type of clarity has been missing since 2019. In recent years, the Red Sox have shown conviction in one man only: Alex Cora. They have hired and fired chief decision-makers, cycled through philosophies, and toggled between competitiveness and development, all while keeping Cora insulated.

If they finally reverse that trend and back their front office chief — even one as unproven as Breslow — it would send the first real signal that this organization is ready to stop straddling both sides of the rebuild/contend line and commit to something long-term.

Is It the Right Move?

That remains to be seen. This roster is deeply flawed, and many of its issues — inconsistency, lack of leadership, subpar roster construction — predate Breslow. Firing Cora won’t fix the bullpen or magically make the team hit with runners in scoring position.

But whether or not it's the "right" move in the short term, moving on from Cora would at least represent something fans have been longing for: clarity of purpose.

And in a city like Boston, where expectations are championship or bust, there’s value in conviction — even if it comes late, even if it comes with risk.

The Red Sox don’t need to know exactly where they’re going yet. But if they finally pick a direction and stick to it — even if that means saying goodbye to the man many thought would one day run the franchise — that alone might be the boldest move they’ve made in half a decade.