Of the many names interviewed for the Red Sox managerial vacancy, the field seems to have been narrowed to five. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) reports that the likely list of finalists includes Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Marlins bench coach James Rowson, Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, and a new candidate to the race — former big league outfielder Sam Fuld, currently the Phillies’ director of integrative baseball performance.
Fuld has spent the last three years in Philadelphia’s front office, and he has often been mentioned as a future manager. Heyman’s report would suggest that Fuld has interviewed for the Boston job, which seems like an obvious step except for the fact that Fuld has declined multiple opportunities to interview for managerial positions in the past. Just last winter, for instance, Fuld passed on talking with the Pirates, Cubs, and Mets.
With baseball’s trend towards hiring younger managers who are only recently retired from their playing days, Fuld checks both boxes — he turns 39 later this month and officially retired in 2017. He doesn’t have any official coaching or managing experience, but Fuld does have something of a unique skillset in his role as a bridge between the Phils’ analytics department. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom also has a past relationship with Fuld, as Bloom was working in the Rays’ front office when Fuld played with Tampa Bay from 2011-13.
Reports from Saturday indicated that the Red Sox had interviewed both Kelly and Mendoza a second time, and of course there has been speculation over Cora’s potential return basically since the moment he was fired in January. Cora’s one-year suspension for his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal was officially up after the World Series, and the Sox wasted little time in getting in touch with their former skipper.
Cora will be back
According to the article he is the Red Sox manager
Cora deserves to be back!!
Got to love all these disgustingly unethical Red Sox fans celebrating a culture of cheating and fraud while celebrating their fake stolen World Series title. A rehiring of Cora would be nothing less than a travesty and a stain on the game.
Got to love all of these headline reading never follow up on what the investigation actually found blind commenters.
Beisbolista: What fuels your obsession with the Red Sox? The commissioner extensively investigated the 2018 Red Sox – emails, video, people interviewed multiple times – and not one incident of actual cheating could be documented. There was no proof that even a single at bat was affected. If you read the commissioner’s report, you will see that the Red Sox were penalized a 2nd round draft pick because they “may have benefitted” and “potentially benefitted” from Watkins’ purported actions. You will also read that they “largely do not have direct evidence” against Watkins. JD Martinez was correct when he said they didn’t find anything.
Sox fan here and I absolutely loathe the idea of Cora coming back. Zero integrity on the organizations behalf if they do. I get slammed by Sox fans when I say this.
The same Sox fans who were asking for a fresh start and his firing are the same ones begging for his rehire.
I’ll part ways with them as a fan if they go that route. I’ll become a general baseball fan and no longer a team fan.
@all in – Cora was found guilty of the very same conduct he was accused of in 2018 on the 2017 Astros. The Red Sox are second time offenders after having previously been warned in writing by the Commissioner’s office. The integrity of Cora and of the Red Sox is clear for all to see except in the results of a one man tribunal conducted by a man with conflicts of interest upon conflicts of interest. You may have your head in the sand, but most of the baseball community does not.
You are a idiot
Beis: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. For me, if I am to believe that cheating occurred, I want to see evidence of actual cheating events that occurred. I think that is fair and I think MLB’s Department of Investigations did a very extensive investigation into the 2018 Red Sox. If Manfred really wanted to let the Red Sox off the hook, he could have come up with a reason not to investigate them. He could have said there was no on-the-record whistleblower like Mike Fiers for the Red Sox. There were only anonymous sources saying the Red Sox cheated which is weak. As for Cora, I think it would be a bad idea for the Red Sox to rehire him.
@Gotham I’ve said the same and get the same treatment from Sox fans. I’ve been a Sox fan for almost 50yrs and I too will be just a general MLB fan if they rehire cora.
I don’t understand why most people don’t see what really happened in Houston. Cora was their scapegoat. The front office devised this complex, computer generated decoding scheme and pushed it down to Hinch to use. Hinch passed the responsibility onto Cora and Cora was left with the edict to implement it. Was it right for him to do it? Of course not, but he was following the orders of his employers at the time. It’s a complete fabrication that Cora came up with this system on his own. His required job was to implement it.
Dorothy: From the commissioner’s report on the 2017 Astros:
“Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs. Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’
conduct.”
He apparently played a big part in the banging scheme.
The integrity of the Manfred investigation cannot be defended. He has a very clear conflict of interest. Look how the steroid investigation was handled— they brought in an outside investigator with wide berth to avoid the problems of conflict of interest. Manfred could never do such a thing because it could lead to additional embarrassment and might force his hand when it comes to filing out fair penalties.
Dude, Cora was the ring leader in the whole thing. They let Boston off the hook and Boston fans should understand that. If anyone thinks they didn’t do anything wrong I have a bridge to sell. But, they obviously weren’t the only two teams doing it.
Beis: If we can’t trust MLB’s investigations, how can we assess any of this? I still think if Manfred wanted to let Red Sox off the hook, he would have found an excuse to not investigate them in the first place. Instead he said he was going to vigorously investigate them and I think he did. I think all teams should have been investigated for illegal sign stealing/decoding since all teams had unmonitored replay rooms in 2017 and 2018. Instead only two teams were investigated and had their names dragged through the mud. If you are saying that Manfred’s investigation was not wide enough, I agree with you.
jjd002: No cheating by the Red Sox in 2018 could be documented in MLB’s extensive investigation. If you are going to label someone a cheater, I think you need to find some actual instances of cheating – at least one. MLB said that they “largely do not have direct evidence” against Watkins and could only conclude was that the Red Sox “may have benefitted” and “potentially benefitted” from Watkins’ theorized actions.
@all in – Maybe you didn’t read what I wrote. I stayed that Manfred is not an objective and reliable investigator. For that matter, he is not a reliable prosecutor or sentencer either. there is a very good reason why in our criminal Justice system those functions are separated and why there are conflict of interest checks at every step. There was every sign in Manfred’s investigation that his goal was to limit damage and protect the people involved. He did not even conduct the investigation until he literally had no choice. He tried to go the route you are suggesting.
@all in – There were eyewitness whistleblowers who were part of the Red Sox and interviewed with the media and went to Manfred. I hope you’re not shocked that Manfred protected a player by not naming him in the report
From SI:
“It’s cheating,” one of three people who were part of the 2018 Red Sox told The Athletic. “Because if you’re using a camera to zoom in on the crotch of the catcher, to break down the sign system, and then take that information and give it out to the runner, then he doesn’t have to steal it.”
Beis: I think this comes down to you don’t trust Manfred to be fair and I do after reading his report. To me, Manfred’s report indicates a fair and thorough investigation of the 2018 Red Sox. He was even interviewing to try a reach a correct conclusion. That quote is not from Manfred’s report. It is from the Athletic article that started all this for the Red Sox. No, I am not shocked. Manfred kept all players names out of the Astros and Red Sox reports. Throughout all the reporting and investigation, there still have not been any accounts of any actual incidents of cheating where illegally obtained signs went from the replay room to a batter….and that is why I think Manfred stated in his report that they “largely do not have direct evidence” against Watkins that the Red Sox “may have benefitted” and “potentially benefitted” from Watkins’ theorized actions.
Absolutely, then he was thrown under the bus.
@all in – Putting aside for a moment the disagreement on the extent to which the Red Sox stole the World Series and MVP Award, you are conveniently sidestepping the issue at hand– Cora’s suitability to ever hold a baseball job again despite masterminding the Astros cheating scandal (suspending disbelief for the moment by assuming that the culture of cheating didn’t magically get left behind with the Astros by Cora despite it’s massive success).
Beis: I said above that it would be a bad idea for the Red Sox to rehire Cora. I can see the argument on both sides of rehiring Cora. On one side, he was a proven cheater in Houston. On the other side, there is no proof of cheating in Boston. I think it would be better to turn the page and go with someone else.
yankee go home…and take A-roid with u…he sucks as a baseball commentator…
Well, “deserves” is a misnomer. He was punished for CHEATING! However, he served his suspension and that is that. I am sure he will be “grateful,” if he gets another opportunity.
He should have been banned from baseball for life! Disgusting that he could be rewarded!
Yes he will so why have all this drama
MLBNYY Because teams have to follow protocol and do this song and dance even though they know its Cora’s job. Angels had to interview a bunch of “candidates” even though everyone knew Maddon would get the gig,
The White Sox certainly ignored that.
LaRussa looks like he is 90 years old. I wonder how he will hold up to a schedule of 162 games. He still looks younger than JB.
Willie Harris was the reported sacrificial lamb, lord.
Cora is the only choice – why put the other guys through this – they’re just window dressing and it seems a bit unfair
Because he’s a cheating, lack of moral, zero responsibility having poc who gets way too much credit for winning with the team he had.
Gotham, people also gloss over Cora’s gross mismanagement of the 2019 season.
His refusal to conduct a normal ST, or even anything but a farce ST using non-essential pieces, relegated the regulars to using the normal season to get up to speed.
By the time guys were back to normal they were in an insurmountable hole. Playing with the best of them record wise over the remaining 110 games or so wasn’t good enough to dig out of the hole, but, had they played to that potential all year they would’ve been in the playoffs.
So, he’s a stain on all of MLB for 2017, the team woulda won without him in 2018, and totally mismanaged things costing the 2019 season.
Guy doesn’t belong in MLB managing anything.
In many cases it would seem to make sense for potential candidates to turn down offers to interview. It’s apparent the White Sox and Tigers knew who they wanted all along and it’s pretty well assumed that Cora will be back in Boston. Many of these teams are just checking boxes and leaving candidates with a long list of token interviews that are doomed to fail. In the long run these won’t look good on a resume
edit…it appears someone was relaying basically the same point as I typed.
Why does every article state Cora was fired? I know technically he was, and I may be wrong, but I thought it was officially a “mutual parting of ways.”
It was a mutual parting of ways. The Red Sox released the following:
“Today we met to discuss the Commissioner’s report related to the Houston Astros investigation. Given the findings and the Commissioner’s ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways. This is a sad day for us. Alex is a special person and a beloved member of the Red Sox. We are grateful for his impact on our franchise. We will miss his passion, his energy and his significant contributions to the communities of New England and Puerto Rico.”
That’s what I thought. Curious that every recent story on here states that he was fired then.
Why don’t you check all of the other media outlets at the time – the press release notwithstanding (an effort to sugarcoat a turf for PR reasons), every source in the organization was clear with the media that this was a firing for Cora’s part in cheating schemes across two teams which resulted in two World Series thefts
All I’m saying is that officially it was not a firing, so articles talking about it should not say it since it wasn’t official.
Remember the days that the media didn’t report anything that wasn’t official. During the Third Reich? You’re joking with that response… Please tell me you are
I hope Cora returns n all this Redsox drama will fade till spring training. What does worry me is Blooms past Hx with Fuld interfering with Cora’s return. I would hate it if Cora missed out on any jobs because everyone in baseball thinks he’s returning to Boston, where he belongs!
You forgot to add Yay Cora! At the end of your post.
A bit mean spirited Kyle.
If the Red Sox hire Cora, the drama will be just beginning in spring training.
All the other jobs are full now. Boston is the last team looking for a manager so Cora is not missing out on any other jobs now.
There is a benefit to some of the guys who interview. Other teams see the interest, and when they have openings they tend to go with the same guys. Plus, they get experience interviewing.
Sure there is a benefit if it’s their first or second time being included in the process. But we see the same names interviewing over and over and not getting jobs. That’s not good for their chances going forward. It raises questions as to why they aren’t being chosen.
please let us keep Fuld
Any choice but Cora would send a positive signal regarding Bloom’s control.
“Director of integrative baseball performance”?
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) reports that the likely list of finalists includes Red Sox manager Alex Cora…
No sense even writing anything else.
Fuld’s a rare bird…an analytic guy with some on the field cred with players. I’ve seen some interviews with him, and the personality is certainly infectious; certainly not your basic stat geek.
I think he’d be Bloom’s choice. BUT he may have other instructions. We’ll see if Chaim’s calling some shots or if he’s just window dressing.
Puppet
I find it interesting that Kelly and Mendoza, two with no mlb managing experience, are the ones with the second interview.
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
Aka, we won’t get Fuld again.
That’s the winning comment; the rest of us might as well move on to another post.
Only thing missing is Roger’s scream.
I really hate that the Red Sox are all but giving it back to Cora.
Yup. Would prove that firing him was nothing but the PR stunt we all suspected it to be.
Anyone from the Phillies front office should be immediately disqualified from contention.
Hey, you should be immediately disqualified from contention!
In fact, you are!
Hit the bricks!
Why would you want a bench coach off teams that are awful this is going to be a horrible offseason
Well at least Henry’s getting his way what’s your over -under on Sox trades I say 7-10 w/ Benny and XB being 2 of them
I don’t blame Sam Flud for passing on those 3 teams. Mets, Wilpon’s says it all. Pirates, Bob Nutting says it all. Cubs, financial problems, future changes in the FO. No guarantee he would keep his job with a GM change.
An interesting theory I have is that if the Sox were gonna re-hire Cora this whole time, why didn’t they make Roenicke just the interim manager to keep Cora’s seat warm until his suspension was up? Wasn’t he hand picked by Cora? The Sox parting ways with Roenicke suggests to me that Cora is not coming back (hopefully).
Cora is a cheater
Hobbies I’m willing to bet YOU have made baaaad decisions in your life too n lived to regret it!!!!!
What does Cora have to regret? He got a two month suspension during a pandemic. That also allowed him to not have to explain why the Red Sox are so bad now that they are no longer able to cheat. I’m sure he’s very broken up about these penalties.
What world do you live in?
Fuld seems like a Chaim Bloom kind of guy. I hope very much that they don’t bring Cora back but with the Tigers hiring Hinch i fear the temptation may be too great
Puppet
Let’s see only one name on the list has even served as a MLB manager in an actual MLB game. Tough Choice. Oh Red Sox, Thank you for window dressing a black candidate without any real chance of him being hired.
Excellent post.
Post of the year….He says with sarcasm.
I almost passed out bc my eyes rolled so far back in my head.
Screw cora. He’s a cheater plain and simple. Regardless of how big his role was in the houston cheating debacle, he was the number two guy in the dugout and did nothing to stop it. It will be a circus in Boston. Do you think he even wants to put his family through that?
With supposed fans like you I would say NOT!
A TRUE fan would NOT want a known cheater to manage one of the most historic sports franchises of all time. You’re not a fan you are a sheep!
A true fan sees everyone is human with flaws. Ppl make bad choices in life n live to regret them. You are entitled to your opinion n I have mine, n I think Cora deserves a chance bk in Boston.
Managing a baseball team has definitely changed from the older seasoned baseball guys (Dusty Baker) to the younger technology guys (Cash). There’s still the need for authority in the position but so much more technology is being used that youth may be taking over the position. Not completely, the older guys still have the leadership value. I’m intrigued by Sam Fuld as well as a few other guys who now how the game works in today’s world. Cora might also be good in that area, his older brother was an academic all American math major while learning English. The Martinez brothers (Ramon and Pedro) were also wicked smart, I’m a little surprised they’re not involved directly in the game as well. I’m waiting for Breslow to pop up as well, he could be the next Tom House. It’s an interesting time to see both youthful and veteran managers getting hired.
Hire Tek for manager, Pedroia as bench coach, Pedro as pitching coach, Papi as hitting coach
I love Tek n he deserves a good position to be put into, n certainly with NOT fans like some of you here. No wonder Mookie wanted to leave.
Would love to see them hire Brett Boone
, So Cora is too much of a cheater to come back, but you’re suggesting that a steroid player would be better? I hope you’re kidding
Lets take the manager outside the equation for a minute lets say for the sake of argument ok its alex, does he think hes walking into the situation in 2018 when you have a great talent rich team? he wont, he has a very basic team thats below average pitching wise, also lets not forget he no longer has the best player that was on his team in 2018( rhymes with ookie letts) oh you also lost david price and moreland, oh and your world series MVP retired, and you have no everyday second baseman.. but other than that? your fine! trust me im a die hard over 20 year red sox fan, but they are not gonna win in 2021 lets call it for what it is, do i think they make the playoffs? yes, Chaim bloom will realize getting cheaper average players was an awful idea and he will get pieces and upgrades, but they just wont be good enough, i see the 2021 red sox kinda like 2020 marlins or cubs.. a good team that will go above expectations but in the end not be good enough. I do hope alex comes back simply cause players generally like him, but no matter who manages this team, hell, bring in joe torre.. this team will be very average to okay next season
I’d love to see Cora make a return in a Sox uniform. It’s also be cool to see Varitek get some consideration but I know he’s been hesitant in the past. Another interesting name to me would be Mike Lowell. Similar post baseball career path to Aaron Boone but Lowell is also bilingual and from Puerto Rico which is very useful.
Just get it over with and rehire Cora already. The Tigers bailed you out by hiring Hinch first, so the door is wide open to bring Cora back…get it done!
I would think Cora would be back. If not, he will sign elsewhere and we will regret it.
should be written, former red sox manager
I hope he returns n bk where he belongs.
Sam Fuld will be the next Red Sox Manager. This guy is a dirt dog.
I’m all for forgiveness, but usually it’s after the offender acknowledges the errors made, and asks forgiveness. And typically, forgiveness isn’t a complete restoration of prior circumstances. Asking Cora to return after less than a year from being terminated would both expose a flaw in Boston’s understanding of how serious this offense was and Cora’s accepting, a demonstration of less than poor judgement. Not a trait you’d seek in a a leader.