The Boston Red Sox are looking for a fresh start amid a disappointing start to the 2026 season.
Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy, along with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, addressed reporters on Sunday, a day after the team made the stunning decision to fire manager Alex Cora.
It was a surprising move given that Cora had been with the organization since 2018 and was in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract extension he signed in July 2024. The deal made him one of the top-paid managers in MLB.
“I want to thank Alex Cora, all the coaches and their families for what they’ve meant to the Boston Red Sox,” Kennedy said. “AC’s impact on Boston and our city will be felt forever. The memories that we all shared from 2018 are gonna last a lifetime. He’s a friend to so many in Boston and across New England, and so that contributed to making this a very difficult decision.”
Cora was not the only one fired as five members of the coaching staff: hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also let go.
Game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek, the widely respected former Red Sox captain who was the catcher for three of the franchise’s four World Series titles this century, has been reassigned to an unspecified role within the organization.
Kennedy said the decision to move on from Cora and his staff came after a recommendation from Breslow.
“Yesterday was definitely painful, but we felt it was a necessary move, and we felt it was necessary to take decisive action to achieve the goal of a fresh start for the 2026 season,” Kennedy explained. “We have full confidence in the players in that room to perform at the very highest level and get us back to playing baseball in October.”
Red Sox players responded to the move with a 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles, but remain last in the American League East with a 10-17 record.
With triple-A Worcester manager Chad Tracy taking over on an interim basis, the team is hoping that there is still enough runway left to salvage the season.
“Ultimately, what matters is the performance on the field at the major league level,” Kennedy said. “And a new beginning starts today.”
–With files from the Associated Press