On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora joined WEEI Afternoons for his weekly visit with the show, and was asked about the upcoming MLB trade deadline that looms heavy over his ballclub.
At 57-51, Boston is firmly in the mix as a contender for an AL Wild Card spot this postseason. If the season ended today, they’d be in. But anyone that has watched this team knows they’re a piece or two away from being a true contender for a World Series berth. Cora even said so himself during a pregame press conference on July 26.
“You guys are 4-6 since the All-Star break,” said WEEI’s Ted Johnson. “Do you feel like you've done enough that [warrants the front office] to do something significant in the next couple of days to improve your ball club?”
“I hate to say it, but if the season ends today - and that's not the case - we got Garrett Crochet in game one in the Wild Card series, right?” said Cora. “So are we perfect? We're not. Are we a good baseball team? We are, and we just have to come here today and have a great day here in Minnesota. Hopefully tomorrow [we will] win the series. And then Thursday, wait-and-see what happens.
“I know Craig [Breslow] and the group, they're working hard. The phones and calling people, and the expectations are for us to be better or to improve the team in the upcoming days, right? That's not a guarantee that we're going to be better, but the hope is that we improve the team, and then we keep playing good baseball.
“And it's hard right now, I bet, in every office, right? Because you look around - there's a lot of teams that have a chance to make it to the playoffs. So the prices [are] probably off the roof. They're way up there, and you have to be smart - not only for the now, but also for the future. But just talking to Craig and the people involved, the goal is for us to improve in the upcoming days.”
WEEI’s Andy Hart followed up, asking Cora if he felt like it was a necessity for the front office to try and make this team better at the deadline, as the rest of the teams fighting for a playoff spot in the American League will all be trying to do the same.
“Is it almost a necessity to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ to improve the baseball team in two days?” asked Hart.
“I'm a big believer that around this time, you know what you need to get better, right?” said Cora. “And like I said - we're not a perfect team, so we'll see what the upcoming days bring. And at the same time, it is a different group compared to the last few years.
“There's not a lot of veteran guys, you know? There's a lot of kids that are playing here, that are playing to establish themselves in the big leagues. And I hope they cancel the noise and they just keep playing. So like I said - our job is for us to show up today. We got [Lucas Giolito] on the mound, and put some good at bats and win the game, and do the same thing tomorrow, and then Thursday is going to be an off day. So some people will enjoy it. Others have to work a lot.”
Whether the Red Sox are able to make a move for a big ticket item like Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan or fall flat with marginal moves being sold as important depth (like last year), WEEI and WEEI.com will have you covered on all things trade deadline.
The aforementioned Giolito (6-2, 3.97 ERA) looks to bounce back after possibly his worst outing of the season his last time out, where the 31-year-old allowed 4 home runs in what ended up being among the most thrilling regular season games in all of baseball in 2025. A big start from Giolito could provide some helpful recency bias for the front office to work off of as they decide whether or not to take big swings ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
First pitch against the Twins (51-55) is slated for 7:40 p.m. ET.
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