It's now official: Alex Cora is back as Red Sox manager. The team announced the hire that had first been reported earlier in the day on Friday afternoon.
Cora's new deal with the team is a two-year contract that will run through the 2022 season, with a two-year club option for 2023 and 2024.
Cora led the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series title in his first year as Red Sox manager in 2018 before the team took a step back and missed the playoffs in 2019.
Cora and the Red Sox mutually agreed to part ways back in January when his role in the 2017 Astros' sign-stealing scandal came to light, for which he was ultimately suspended for the 2020 season by Major League Baseball. The suspension ended with the conclusion of this year's World Series.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to manage once again and return to the game I have loved my entire life," Cora said in a statement. "This past year, I have had time to reflect and evaluate many things, and I recognize how fortunate I am to lead this team once again. Not being a part of the game of baseball, and the pain of bringing negative attention to my family and this organization was extremely difficult.
"I am sorry for the harm my past actions have caused and will work hard to make this organization and its fans proud. I owe John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, Sam Kennedy, Chaim Bloom and Brian O’Halloran my gratitude for giving me another chance. I am eager to get back to work with our front office, coaches, and especially our players. Boston is where I have always wanted to be and I could not be more excited to help the Red Sox achieve our ultimate goal of winning in October."
The Red Sox' decision reportedly came down to Cora or Phillies executive and New Hampshire native Sam Fuld. There had been some speculation that perhaps the delay in making a decision was a sign that Bloom, the Red Sox' chief baseball officer, wasn't completely sold on bringing Cora back. Bloom shed some light on the hiring process in a statement.
"Alex Cora is an outstanding manager, and the right person to lead our club into 2021 and beyond," Bloom said. "The way he leads, inspires, and connects with everyone around him is almost unmatched, and he has incredible baseball acumen and feel for the game.
"We considered a very impressive slate of candidates – the brightest managerial prospects in the game today. Because of all that had happened, I knew that I wanted to speak with Alex once his suspension ended, but I didn’t yet know if it made sense to consider him for the job as well. Our conversations were lengthy, intense, and emotional. Alex knows that what he did was wrong, and he regrets it.
"My belief is that every candidate should be considered in full: strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments and failures. That is what I did with Alex in making this choice. He loves the Red Sox and the game of baseball, and because of that we believe he will make good on this second chance. I join our whole organization in welcoming Alex back to Boston and Fenway Park."
