The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches after a disappointing 10-17 start to the season. Team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow provided minimal insight into the decision.
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BALTIMORE — When the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches Saturday, it sent shockwaves through the industry and stunned much of the fan base.
A day later, team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made themselves available to reporters to answer questions about the housecleaning. But if you were looking for actual insight and rationale, you came to the wrong place.
Naturally, both cited the team’s 10-17 record after 27 games, landing them in last place in the American League East. They expressed the belief that the players on the roster were capable of more.
Kennedy called the moves “necessary.” Breslow said they were “warranted.”
But when asked specifically what Cora had failed to do, or what changes they wanted to see under interim manager Chad Tracy, Kennedy and Breslow were determined not to get into specifics.
“I don’t think it’s productive to get into the merits of an individual decision or action,” said Breslow.
And that was that. There were more references to “believing in the group” and the fact that there are still 135 games remaining to be played, time enough for the Red Sox to execute a U-turn.
But as to what Cora did too much of, or conversely, not enough of? No comment. No thank you.
All of which makes the rest of their comments ring more than a little hollow. Kennedy and Breslow can’t, in good conscience, continuously reference words like “accountability” and then fail to provide much in the way of explanation.
Kennedy profusely thanked Cora for his contributions to the franchise and city, and for delivering the team’s last World Series in 2018. Breslow added much the same sentiment. There were salutes to the fired coaches, too, and tributes paid to them as fathers and husbands, as well as baseball people.
But when the questions turned to the news of the day, the specifics were hard to come by. Suddenly, there were only the most obvious of platitudes and generalities.
Breslow was reminded that only a short while ago, he cautioned against making drastic moves in-season, warning that such measures can actually make things worse for a struggling team. Naturally, the logical follow-up question was a simple one: What changed?
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“Certainly the performance on the field has not been what we expected,” began Breslow. “And beyond that, this is a decisive and convicted demonstration of the confidence we have in our player group.”
Oh.
On and on it went.
One thing that Kennedy and Breslow could agree on was that the shakeup stemmed from Breslow, who acknowledged proposing the firings to Kennedy and ownership.
But the transparency stopped there.
“We decided kind of broader changes and new voices and new direction was appropriate here,” Breslow said.
Cora isn’t without fault in this equation, of course. The team had a persistent habit of starting seasons poorly. And while he was hailed as a strong communicator, he couldn’t salvage the relationship between Rafael Devers and the team last spring, leading to the third baseman’s trade to San Francisco.
So, again, was he guilty of not preparing them well enough? Was he too tough on them or too easy? After today’s 25-minute media availability, it remains anyone’s guess.
The same goes for the coaching staff. Why were some spared and others let go? Why, for instance, was Andrew Bailey, in charge of an underperforming pitching staff retained, while hitting coach Pete Fatse was the fall guy for a slumping lineup?
Again, nothing was delivered.
Kennedy, in his role as team president and CEO, and representative of ownership, has been through his share of these. He was there when the hiring of Dave Dombrowski effectively meant the end of Ben Cherington. He was present when John Farrell was shown the door and Cora was welcomed. He was on hand for the beginning of the Chaim Bloom Era, and its conclusion a few years later. And, he was taking questions after choosing Breslow to replace Bloom.
In other words, these kind of orchestrated unveilings or dismissals are, by now, old hat to him. He’s seen them all.
Given that, he should be more adept at anticipating the questions that come with all the comings and goings. The Red Sox seem to hold one every three or so years, give or take.
But they don’t get any more informative or helpful. Every time, there’s sadness expressed for the fine person being ushered out and a hardy embrace of the guy replacing him. After a while, it all sounds the same.
Always, the moves are made in service to the fans and their expectations.
“We know exactly what our fans expect,” said Kennedy.
Unless those expectations involve knowing why a manager was fired after 27 games and why.
“This is about looking forward and moving forward,” added Breslow.
Without, apparently, looking back or providing any explanation for why one of the biggest in-season overhauls in team history took place.
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