May Alex Cora be the most recent Purple Sox presence to flip to the opposite facet of the rivalry?
In response to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are one of many extra doubtless groups to make use of Cora as their supervisor for the 2025 season.
Whereas showing on Foul Territory on June 13, Rosenthal talked about the Yankees as one among three groups that would hearth their supervisor “if issues don’t go the way in which they need them to” and/or “in some way flames out within the playoffs.”
Rosenthal additionally mentioned that the Dodgers and Cardinals might have openings that is perhaps interesting for Cora.
Notably, Rosenthal cited that Cora might take a year-long reprieve — much like what Invoice Belichick is at the moment doing within the NFL — and even transition to a entrance workplace position.
MassLive.com Purple Sox beat author Chris Cotillo additionally listed the Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies as doable touchdown spots for Cora.
“I don’t suppose Alex Cora’s going to be again right here,” Cotillo added. “I feel he needs a big-market problem, and he’s not going to let rivalry get in the way in which if the Yankees are going to supply.”
Throughout the “Sunday Night time Baseball” Yankees-Purple Sox telecast, ESPN’s Buster Olney echoed each experiences, positing that he believes Cora will hit the open market however might sit out the 2025 season.
There are a number of components to kind out relating to any kind of Cora-Yankees chatter.
The primary and most blatant is the Yankees’ success: the workforce holds not solely the very best document in baseball at 50-24, but in addition is tied for its seventh-best mark by means of 74 video games in workforce historical past.
Though Boone has a membership choice in his contract for 2025, it will at the moment come as a big shock if the workforce didn’t train it based mostly on the workforce’s 2024 efficiency to date.
Whereas the Yankees have typically underwhelmed within the postseason with Boone, nonetheless not snapping their 14-year streak of not making the World Collection, the workforce has solely misplaced its first playoff sequence as soon as in Boone’s tenure.
Even after final yr’s listless 82-80 season, the Yankees nonetheless stored Boone however elected to make main roster adjustments as an alternative of discovering a brand new chief.
It will be onerous to check such a drastic and sudden shift in blame from proprietor Hal Steinbrenner and different Yankees brass.
The opposite key issue is Cora’s skills in Boston.
The Purple Sox sit 37-35 regardless of broad expectations the workforce can be beneath common in 2024.
Cora has overseen the event of beforehand up-and-down gamers akin to Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, Kutter Crawford and Wilyer Abreu.
With supplemental hitting from star Rafael Devers and a resurgence from slugger Tyler O’Neill, the workforce is in much better form than prognosticated by means of this level within the season.
Whereas Cora might not wish to handle in Boston for a seventh season, the Purple Sox would appear extremely more likely to wish to retain him based mostly on his long-term success and well-lauded baseball IQ.
With over half of the baseball season — plus the playoffs — left in tow, there’s nonetheless a complete lot left to be decided relating to each Cora’s and Boone’s fates.
For now, Rosenthal’s report is, on the very least, an eyebrow-raising suggestion.
