Ron Roenicke won’t be managing the Red Sox in 2021, the team announced. In an official press release from the Sox, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the following:
“Throughout this difficult season, Ron’s consistency and professionalism kept the environment in our clubhouse productive and gave all of our players room to grow and develop. While we believe that, moving forward, we will benefit from new leadership and new energy, that does not diminish how strongly we feel about Ron. He is a man of the highest character who cares about our players and the Red Sox organization. As bench coach, he helped this team win a world championship. As manager, he showed poise and leadership in navigating an extremely challenging year. We are grateful for all of his contributions in our uniform.”
The release also stated that “a search for a new manager will begin immediately,” though speculation has already focused on whether or not this search will somewhat quickly center around Boston’s old manager — Alex Cora. The Red Sox fired Cora last January, a day after he was implicated as a major instigator of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in his previous role as Houston’s bench coach. The Sox interviewed several names as Cora’s replacement before deciding to promote Roenicke from bench coach to interim manager (and then eventually, full-time manager once the interim tag was removed in April).
Major League Baseball ended up suspending Cora for the 2020 season for his role in the Astros’ scandal, and it’s worth noting that back in April, Bloom and Red Sox president Sam Kennedy both indicated that there were no plans to eventually bring Cora back into the fold. Barring any updated statements from Red Sox brass or from Cora himself, the speculation about a potential reunion is likely to continue until a new manager has been hired.
If Cora isn’t the choice, it will be fascinating to see who Bloom chooses in his first proper managerial hire since taking over Boston’s front office last year. Former coaches and players with ties to the Rays (Bloom’s old organization) will surely be mentioned as candidates, and one would imagine a new skipper might be a first-time hire who is both relatively young and not far removed from a playing career. This fits the description of both Rays manager Kevin Cash and Cora at the time of his initial hire with the Sox, so both Bloom and Red Sox upper management might feel comfortable with this type of modern managerial profile.
Roenicke will manage today’s game, looking to end a tough season on a high note. The Red Sox are 23-36 and currently in last place in the AL East, thanks in large part to a lack of pitching. Injuries (Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez chief among them) were a big culprit, though the Sox seemingly lacked rotation depth even when those two arms were expected to be part of the 2020 staff. Between the on-field struggles, the twin aftermaths of Cora’s firing and the Mookie Betts trade lingering over Fenway Park, and the unforeseen circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloom’s description of 2020 as “an extremely challenging year” is an understatement.
The 64-year-old Roenicke took on a big league managerial post for the second time in his career, following a five-year stint with the Brewers from 2011-15. Beyond his managerial jobs in Boston and Milwaukee, Roenicke has over 20 years as a Major League coach and as a minor league coach and manager. Roenicke’s coaching resume includes a pair of World Series rings, one in 2002 as the Angels’ third base coach and another in 2018 as Boston’s bench coach.
Bah God thats Alex Coras music…
Lmfao, good ol J.R.!
Please no Cora. I don’t want Papi in the HOF because he IMO cheated the sport and Cora is no different.
Boy that a dumb take.
Sooo, Ortiz was tested all season…and off season…long for as long as PEDs were banned and never failed a test.
If you want to talk about the famous “list” of failed tests, remember nothing found in any of those were against the rules at the time of the testing. And the positive tests were for multiple things, not just PEDs. They never differciated or broke down what substances were found in any of the Hundred or so positives.
Then I guess he had the greatest offensive season ever for a 40 year old clean. Believing that is a dumb take.
If the Red Sox hire Cora what does that say about Bloom and his power as GM?
Roenicke was a place holder. Even if some miracle the collections of stiffs in the rotation came together and they made the playoffs he would still be getting shown the door.
2020 was a blessing for the Red Sox because they got to stink while no one really cared about the season.
So true Goose. Hopefully Bloom gets to choose the next manager.
Don’t be recalcitrant; just accept the facts. The “List” was a smear job to multiple players. The testing by MLB is a system that’s documented and official. If the “Official” fact is he’s clean, then he’s clean. Do you think that he wasn’t being tested in his final season? Of course you don’t.. Did MLB fine/suspend Ortiz in his final season? Nope, he must have been passing all the tests, aye?
Do you think the testing is always up to date with the different “products”? If Papi was clean in 2016, it’s the greatest
Season EVER for a 40 year old. In my view, if the ball wasn’t juiced like in 2019, then I believe he was.
It’s interesting how positive and glowing these comments are, but they still get rid of him. Seems like a lot of qualities you would want in a manager.
Diplomacy 101. He’s a good man with limitations. The positives he brings are amazing. Dedicated, loyal, vast knowledge Etc.
SashaBanksFan It’s just professional and a good look. Wouldn’t be surprised either if they had it in mind for a while that he would likely be more of a stopgap/transition guy then their long term guy. He was already on their staff and had managing experience.
Decent option to take over after the messy Cora situation and handle the upcoming season where they weren’t exactly going all in to win anyway.
Thank you both. I appreciate the comments. I respect Roenicke a lot.
The Red Sox knew they were going to let Roenicke go at the end of the 2020 season BEFORE they hired him. It was too late to get someone else by the time they fired Cora. He had been the bench coach and was familiar with the players. It was a no brainer for 2020, but not beyond. Bloom will hire his own guy for 2021.
Like Cora or hate Cora, I think it is bad PR to rehire him after he was found to have cheated with the Astros!
Totally agree on Cora. To hire him back would mean no penalty as to sit out this crazy season is not a negative and it’s not like most Americans. Financially he’s fine even with no Red Sox paycheck in 2020. If they bring him back, Why not Manny as the 3B coach?…LOL
If that were true, then why did they bother removing the interim tag from his position in the first place? Couldn’t they have just gone the entire season with him known as the interim manager who was going to be replaced the next year, especially since the season had already been cut short by the time they did remove the tag?
He was reportedly supposed to retire last offseason but backtracked when the Astros investigation came out. The Sox talked Roenicke into managing if Cora was punished.
They couldn’t wait till this last game was done?? I guess they really needed the extra day to find the new Mgr. Henry you have NO class at all !!
He asked to be told before the last game. They had no intention of doing it until Monday. The classless move would have been to not have told him once he requested to be told. The story has been reported all over and confirmed by Roenicke and the RS.
It was also timed with Patriots Kick-Off (as the news came out, game starts). That could have been done better – it’s almost as if they did that portion as a jab towards Kraft). Let’s not forget how the Henry owned Sox front office seems to smear fan favorites as/after they walk out the door; to save face. If I’m right about that, It’s scummy behavior on Henry’s people).
Randy – I am glad they announced it so he and the players could say their thanks and goodbyes. If Roenicke and the players were saying goodbyes and the media was standing right there, they would have figured it out, so why not just announce it. The Red Sox media tends to be a little more knowledgeable than the average “box of rocks” media. Most media get it wrong more than right. I thought it was classy that the players knew and could say goodbye after spending three years with Roenicke. If I were a player I would have wanted to know…..
It’s just words.. Corporate behavior dictates they pump tires on the way out (partially because they aren’t allowed to say anything bad). No one’s “Real” anymore.
Cora coming back? Or maybe someone like Varitek coming in
Welp I guess it’s Jason Varitek time
Would love for Ten and Wakefield involved.
Would love for Varitek but he seems happy to be at home and not on the road.
He’s happy being home; His boiler tank shows us that much.. hahaha
I hope they bring Cora back, the players adore him n so don’t the fans. Please don’t yell about the cheating in Houston. We all make very bad choices in life, the point is owning the deed n moving on from it learning from it. Cora has done that, n AJ still has not owned it.
“Second chances” are overrated. “Not doing obviously bad things in the first place” is highly underrated.
Shame on any organization that hires Hinch or Cora.
Or Beltran.
Beltran and Cora cheated with two teams., Neither one should be back, especially after only a year. The Red Sox need to move on from Cora and start a new chapter. Roenicke is a good guy, but they weren’t keeping him unless the team lit it up. He would be a miracle worker if he did that. They gave him nothing to work with as far as pitching. At least the Sox got their reset and hopefully will get a good draft pick.
I think JOHN ROCKER should be the new manager. Or Ty Cobb Jr.
Nailed it ⚾️
In fairness, saying Boston cheated in 18 is overblown. What exactly has been proven?
I am glad I am not in the public eye. I would hate to have my entire life and future defined by the worst decision I ever made. And I am pretty sure everyone judging Cora and Hinch would hate to be in that position as well.
They didn’t kill anyone people.
oh, but some people here think stealing signs is tantamount to murder – or worse.
I agree, this was not a capital crime but fans want capital punishment, I suppose it because the players got to skate. Maybe someday we’ll actually get to boo them.
I think people are judging Cora so harshly because he made a lot of money and got two rings while cheating rather cynically, and also because his punishment seemed to be quite light for the severity of the offense.
We’re not talking about a spur of the moment mistake. We’re talking about two years of organized cheating. It’s a bit disingenuous to cast Cora as the victim here; he knew what he was doing, and you could argue that, even with the year-long suspension, he profited from cheating.
I also think it’s missing the point to say he “didn’t kill anyone” – no one claimed he did. But his offenses were not victimless, and it’s still reasonable to argue that he has no business working in baseball for the foreseeable future.
It would be very disappointing to see him managing the Red Sox, or any team, in 2021.
Not your entire life but if you violated the rules of your job and got fired I’m not sure you’d expect to come back in a year either. Most people would understand the logic in that.
@Darkside I think you’re exaggerating a bit; no one is suggesting that. Expecting Cora to pay meaningful consequences for his wrongdoing does not mean that we think stealing signs is worse than murder.
Hiflew – ….never take a position that will put you in the public eye if you do not want the scrutiny! I would not take a $10 million a year job if it meant my life would be in a “fish bowl”. Personally i would rather be anonymous.
No some think stealing signs is cheating. Not murder.
There are others who think cheating does not matter but it does!
Darkside was being a drama queen
Sure I would. Because in my job, I would not have even been punished because there would have been no public outcry. The only reason he got fired at all is because of the public outcry. Because it’s not like the people doing the firing didn’t know EXACTLY what was going on.. So its not like they have a big moral high ground to stand on. Cora was just a public scapegoat.
Besides, if MLB truly thought it was a big deal, they would have been banned from the game. They were not.
Hiflew – many times people who should be punished are not, and scapegoats happen.
My comment was that if a person is in the public eye (sports, politics, movie…) there is the possibility of negative reaction and cameras in your face. If someone does not like that don’t be a manager, politician. You could not pay me enough to have media constantly in my face.
Cheating is as low you can get in sports. Picture a corporation doing illegal things to get a competitive edge. Those involved would face fines as a minimum but coukd also face criminal charges, especially if the company’s stock valuation was involved. Here, look at the filed lawsuits by gamblers. PED users in my view should be charged with fraud when the drug involved is illegal to use or possess without medical clearance. Just my opinion.
For the sake of anyone, defendant or otherwise, you should never be allowed to sit on a jury. You fit right in with the rest of the rabble condemning people for anything that doesn’t suit their particular “values” or “way of life,” as if imposing those on others is all right. It’s not all right, and needs to be called out for the hate it reflects. You’re a pitiful loser.
Agree on Cora who clearly had an active role in Houston. Boston fans adore him? Yes he pushed the right buttons his first year but the second, he was horrible. Most of the fans here it seems do not want him back.
Forwhom…, I know a guy who believes in multiple “second chances”. His name is Jesus Christ. Maybe you’ve heard about him. He believes EVERYONE deserves many “second chances”, even you and me.
Just like the best athletes that break laws and cast their teams for n a bad light, these guys will be back at some point (and once they start winning people will love them. Those of us who hang on to “They’re cheaters” will end up being looked at like we’re wearing tinfoil hats)… Trust that..
I won’t yell. I will say quite calmly though that Alex Cora should not have another job in baseball for a long, long time, if ever.
That’s your opinion. My opinion is that it is no big deal and he should get any job he is qualified for.
Of course when it comes down to it, neither of our opinions are worth diddly. The only opinion that matters is the Commissioner’s Office and Cora was not banned for life, so he is eligible to return whether anyone likes it or not.
Cheating happens (on multiple levels) everywhere, every year and it’s part of the game(s). These days it’s morphed into “You better do it because the others guys are and you’ll never win otherwise”.. So holding guys like Cora, Hinch or anyone else hostage for what’s happening everywhere isn’t good. These guys are good coaches and they’re guilty of trying too hard (by using their versions of cheating) to WIN.. They’re not guys that killed someone, raped, sold drugs to children etc.. If Killers & Rapists get second chances per our own legal/judicial system, then why on Earth would Cora and Hinch be held to a higher punishment?
They deserve second chances. You can’t find out if someone’s changed until you see what they can do when given a second chance (you basically jump to “They didn’t learn anything anyway, no second chances”)..
The Red Sox would be a complete joke of an organization if they hire Cora back for 2021. You fire a guy who helped cheat to win a WS, or two, and then you’re going to bring him back the very next season? What a joke if that happens.
Another judgmental A-hole with all the facts. Try seeking the truth instead of spouting your asinine opinions about how the world works.
Someone is getting all crybaby about the hate for Cora. Need a tissue?
@88wines
Quit your whining cry baby! We have the facts. Cora is a cheater no matter how much you want to give him a pass. No one else does. Bringing him back a year later makes the Red. Sox organization condone the cheating.
We have the facts as do you. Open your eyes cry baby
“Cora is a cheater”
So is everyone else on Earth in one way or another. There’s your fact.
They hired him to be their manager, before the scandal, when he was formerly a bench coach. He served his time (punishment, suspension) as deemed by the commissioner’s office. He’s like a guy who got a promotion from one position to another but committed a crime before starting his new job. Now he’s a free man, just like someone who served jail time and is now out on probation.
No, he’s more like the person who got a great job by not fully disclosing or providing an incomplete resume. Many coaches have lost jobs upon revelation of the full picture. Being suspended is far different from someone giving him a second chance. His leadership role should not be ignored. Being eligible is one thing but now let him earn another opportunity by coaching in college or the minors.
Looie – agree 100 percent!
Wow. Someone in support. Appreciate it. I’m hard nosed with no tolerance of cheating regardless of who or what team involved. Why invest as a fan our time and money if there’s not zero tolerance? Getting a within the rules advantage is gamesmanship, cheating is fraud.
I can see what you’re saying, initially I thought that too.. But nowadays, with everyone pushing peace & forgiveness in society, it almost seems right to give him another shot (if, for no other reason, Sox ownership thinks it can capitalize on society’s sentiment and give Cora the job just so they can look like a respectable business? With all the “Boston is racist” BS in the news over the last decade, I can see how it would be a good business move on its own. Add in that Cora is great at what he does, the decision seems already made).
“Boston is racist” would not apply here as the Red Sox hired a Puerto Rican the first time. Hiring him the first time shows they were not Racist. Hiring him a second time shows nothing about racism only that cheating is ok. Cora cheated with Houston and I do not believe he did not know about it with Boston.
Regardless, Bloom is the man deciding on the new manager, so let him make his own choice.
You say don’t bring up the cheating scandal, but how in the name of Shoeless Joe Jackson can you NOT bring up the cheating? He flat out cheated the game, tarnished a championship season and flat out stole a ring from other teams, how can that not be brought up I ask? I mean this is only 1 opinion and I truly respect all of yours, and this is from someone who is a Tigers fan and couldn’t care less about the Sox or the Astros. But really, this is something that should keep Cora and Hinch out of baseball for good.
If you are applying for a job as a lawyer and it’s a known fact that you cheated the law and the legal system, do you expect to get that job? Of course not, and just because it’s baseball and their paid millions, it’s no matter. He cheated, and from what’s been outed since then, he was the main instigator of it all so he more than others should be looked at harshly and in no way should this guy be leading young men as a skipper. Maybe it’s just me, but this is a no brainer.
Cora gets too much of the heat for his role. The analytics guys were already stealing signs with ‘Codebreaker’ and ‘Dark Arts’ and there’s proof Luhnow knew about it. There’s so many points of failure in the org where people in leadership roles should have stepped up and no one person did. Crucify whoever you want but the entire org is responsible including their tone deaf owner.
That said, there are so many viable managers out there it would be a bad look to give Hunch or Cora a job any time soon, though I thought the same about Kapler and his failure of ethics and morals was much more significant than either Hinch or Cora.
I would give Hinch a job before Cora. He at least tried to stop it, although not hard enough. He was only complicit in that way, Cora helped drive the ship with the Astros.
Actually, Shoeless appears to have been guilty by association. Read all of the more recent research.
All of the money.
None of the responsibility.
Apologists with straw men at the ready when I actively cheat.
Now that’s a job I want!
Cora was sneaky to say the least and I hated his approach with the media. NEXT
Making a mistake or being diabolical and creating a cheating scheme suggests two different levels of integrity to me. Cora, based on his actions in two cities, has no integrity. He created a system once and got caught then got a lucky break with the fact that everyone who knew what he did wouldn’t validate the findings leaving the commissioner completely impotent to sentence him further..
Twice a cheater isn’t a simple mistake like you suggest it is.. Cora owned the cheating like Clinton owned the cheating. Do you get the impression Clinton stopped cheating after owning it? Wake up. This guy is a serial cheater and needs to stay out of the Red Sox organization. Let him be a bench coach for the Yankees or send him back to Houston.
I am ready for the ex-catcher turned manager era. David Ross, Jason Varitek, and Jeff Mathis all look like worthy managers, and not just scums or weak leaders.
I think we’ve been in that era for some time, though? Bochy, Girardi, Scoscia, Matheny, Bob Melvin all come to mind.
Wow, I never knew so many of those guys were catchers. Thanks for bringing that up, because I never would’ve known. With that being said, I guess this would be considered a “new wave’.
yeah, im willing to bet that at any one time youll find at least 1/3 of managers to be former backup C. probably more.
It makes sense. Catcher is the field manager, in a way, and backup players often are better teachers than the stars, presumably because they often had to be more strategic and self-aware in order to achieve success than the elite players who were more naturally gifted. This is probably oversimplifying a complex situation but I think in general it makes sense as an explanation.
Ausmus Yost Hurdle Gibbons Macha and Joe Torre did a little too
Catcher is probably the most or one of the most backgrounds for managers over decades
Scott Servais…
Oh man I really hope they hire Sal Fasano
Whether we get Cora back or not, this is a good move. Roenicke, I felt, did not do a great job. Too many lineup changes.
Too many lineup changes and still horrible lineups almost every game.
Varitek
Pedey
Pedroia LOL !! Dustin is not a leader and he clearly showed that with the Machado incident. He did not stand up for his team-mates nor managers. He made it clear it wasn’t him don’t blame him, somebody else decided to throw and hit him. Not a team-first guy even though I thought so and was fooled by his fiery Style a baseball which most fans adored. Manager material? Nope stay away from this guy.
Yes we learn from our mistakes but you would hope a rookie with zero experience could at least lean on character and Leadership. Dustin can’t right now.
How is not covering for your teammates for recklessly throwing at a guy a lack of leadership?
WTF?
This is the exact kind of thing we expected leaders on the Astros to do, take a moral stance against a perceived wrong. Farrell was and is a terrible leader and the Machado incident showed it. I don’t blame Pedey for shoving him in front of the bus. If anyone needed the lesson it was Farrell and Barnes if I remember correctly.
Leaders shove no one in front of the bus… no matter how wrong they are. That’s what I believe and stand for and would want NOTHING to do with a leader that didn’t feel the same way.
Just my opinion. I’m not saying you’re wrong or anyone else that feels the same way you do. Just my preference.
He also supported Price in the Eck fiasco. I love Pedie’s on the field play but he’s not a manager, at least not yet.
Pedroria would be an excellent choice. He needs to bow out and admit he can’t play anymore. Convert is remaining dollars into a managerial position.
You can’t do that. I love all the work arounds to avoid paying him. He is going to get every dime of it.
One year on the job? Under team’s obvious rebuilt? Utterly ridiculous!
He was given a shot. His loyalty and dedication to the Red Sox was rewarded with a chance to manage the big league club. Every move is scrutinized and ownership and or the GM decided he didn’t pass the test. No harm at all. All folks can ask for is a shot. You’ll have a job in baseball anytime he wants one. Tremendous baseball man.
Some experienced manager-turned-bench-coach types are more valuable to teams in the latter role.
Roenicke’s career track appears headed back toward a “trusted lieutenant” role, especially as the average age and experience level of first-time managers continue to trend downward.
I think he was always kinda destined to be a bridge manager for this season. He did the best he could with what he had, but I don’t think they ever saw him as the manager of the future.
He was supposed to retire last offseason but the team feared Cora would be punished in the Astros scandal so they convinced him to stay in case Cora faced suspension
Fletch@, Yes someone else mentioned that earlier. Thanks for repeating the post. I think we got it. But it’s good info so I’ll give you a thumbs up. Thanks.
@FletcherFan69, @Gary – I didn’t see the early post so thank you for this post.
As manager, he showed poise and leadership in navigating an extremely challenging year. We are grateful for all of his contributions in our uniform.”
If you really meant what you wrote You would have given him a contract extension. Your kicking him to the curb thanks for nothing, Chaim Bloom You got no class.. What a piece of Krap.
Showing poise and leadership during a challenging year doesn’t mean he’s the right manager for the team going forward. Don’t be thick.
Myaccount – agree completely!! Roenicke did his job professionally. Time to move on……just like letting DD go and moving on to Bloom! DD won a WS, but it was time to move on to a team builder.
Odds on favorite, has to be someone on Tampa’s current coaching staff.
Pretty good call.
Great way to go out, knocked on your butt by a foul ball, possible hairline fracture in you’re back, then get canned and replace by a known cheat. Have a nice day, Ron.
Jared Sandburg….current bench coach in Seattle, former minor league manager for the Rays…..won with young talent in AAA, won with old folks in AAA…..bright guy who only went to Seattle cuz he knew he wasn’t replacing Cash….he’s from Seattle, which fit into the equation, but for a chance to sit in the big chair….in Boston? Yep.
Typical GM-in-trouble-fire-the-manager move on Bloom’s part. Nobody could have saved the Sox this year; RR is a “baseball guy” who got caught in a bad set of circumstances, SOME (not all) of which is Bloom’s fault. No reaction to what was happening, zilch, nada.
Said it last year, 2021 and he’s gone.
Good post, Bob. I vaguely recall Sandberg from his success managing the Bulls not well enough to make your plausible possible Sandberg-Bloom-Boston connection just now.
If they bring back Cora, or hire “Tech, it will be an indication that Bloom is just being ignored, and being kept around just long enough to make his termination palatable. It’s all about the “brand” in Boston, and right now the Sox are a mortal sin; they’re not good, they’re not bad, they’re just boring.
With their revenues, Boston ain’t KC or Pittsburgh. Nor should they be. And I’m sure (owner) John Henry knows how boring they are.
And FWIW, Eckersley and Remy just echoed what I said about Bloom’s real influence in the Sox hierarchy…Eck: “Ya, but does he have the power?”(to hire somebody he wants).
Bob I think the Eckersley and Remy statement or statements give an indication they have no idea. Of course Chaim Bloom has the authority to do as he wishes with of course getting approval from ownership as any professional sports team does.
If the agenda was “trade Mookie Betts” he would have been ordered to do so a lot earlier than he did. That’s trust in the GM to wait until, what was it February when they traded Mookie? An order would have been done in December at the winter meetings.
Chain Bloom has all the authority he can handle and we’ll build the roster his way with his knowledge and expertise. The Red Sox are in good hands.
Bob I love first paragraph in your opening post… makes a lot of sense. Your second paragraph seems to indicate you’re not on board with what the Red Sox have been doing the last 12 months?
From what I saw the plan was to get under the tax somehow. The plan was also to perhaps trade some vets and replenish the farm a little bit. Both of those goals completed by the GM they hired Chaim bloom. A+. Great job. Big picture: check mark.
I think the Red Sox get back to normal spending to fill in certain holes this winter. They won the World Series in 2017 then tried to run it back with the same Squad and failed. This year was about retooling and reallocating and reducing payroll. I can see what they’re doing. Can’t you?
Bob – Bloom is NOT in trouble! Ownership fully expected a terrible year. Roenicke was only a stopgap because Cora was fired so late (April). Ownership wanted payroll cut (check), Mookie trades (check), farm system rebuilt (check),….the prospects Bloom got for Moreland,Workman, Hembree, and Pillar look great!
Bloom did everything ownership wanted. He gets an A+ from ownership, Bob.
Stop treating the Boston Red Sox as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlantic Division.
How many games did they win?. Check
What were the NESN ratings like? Check
Did the value of the brand go up or down in 2020? Check.
The rules in Boston are different than they are in Tampa. And all those things you mentioned (ownership and luxury taxes and various other fantasies) are only suppositions.
Bloom is not in-trouble Bob.
Did he know E-Rod was opting out of the season? Check
Did he know Sale was definitively having TJS?
Did he know Benintendi was going to be absolutely awful?
Did he go after high-priced talent? No, because ownership wanted to slow the roll until some salary comes off the books.
Bloom is safe. His job is not in-jeopardy. Earliest 2022.
Bob you are clueless as to the big picture……
If you were dying of cancer and were only expected to live until November 1, 2020 then 2020 is a big deal. To the 99.99 percent of the fans who expect to live to see 2021 the roster turnover was necessary….. 2020 was little different than 2006, 2010, 2014, 2015…..bad years that allowed WS titles in 2007, 2013, 2018. The Red Sox are the only team to win 4 World Series this century! They move on to the next set of prospects…..8 of the top 20 prospects have been acquired in the last 8 months. Bloom has done his job and then some….Bloom gets an A+ and you get an F.
Gary, I read your post after I wrote mine as it was farther down the string. I guess we think a lot alike…
Yes I think we said the same thing a month ago. When I read your stuff it sounds like me talking LOL. I consider you a smart guy !!! LOL
Lol
Fantastic. What a mess the red sox have so quickly become. Uh?
They are clearly the fourth best team in the AL East with little hope of closing the gap in a single off-season. (Will probably take several…*if* Bloom doesn’t mess it up. Rebuilds can be tricky business.)
It’s not hard to picture Baltimore being relevant before Boston.
Hey… you guys still have the Patriots, though. (& a semi-tainted title)
Honestly, my expectations were very low this season. No better season to come out empty. Anything can happen next year.
Don’t blink because the Red Sox are coming on fast. It took just one season to accomplish the goal of 2020. Shed payroll and insert 10 new young players into the top 30 Red Sox prospects.
Considering this quick accomplishment, don’t be so surprised when the Red Sox are competing again by next season. And by that I mean not that these young players are going to suddenly be major league ready and in the lineup, I mean that management is excellent at accomplishing their goals. As I said Don’t Blink on this team, they’ll be knocking on your heels next season.
All depends on the pitching.
A.J. Hinch, c’mon down!
With Cora as the bench coach.
For sure. He can help them brush up on their cheating skills.
I’m sure there’s a Home Depot in Winter Haven
Halo, it’s getting old. Give it a rest.
Sox won’t hire Cora. It’s a terrible decision that anyone can see, objectively. People talk about how we would like our own lives brought under public scrutiny, but this was a very public multi-year cheating scheme to defraud the league’s other teams out of a championship, money, notoriety, future managing jobs, etc…thus the scrutiny is appropriate.
Getting his job back, particularly with the organization with which he cheated and from which he was fired, speaks to their integrity and ethos. Regardless, they won’t want to alienate even more fans given the growing volatile environment in political sports right now.
That said, I could be wrong.
This is a good post Yankee Clipper. To be honest I’m not sure which side of the fence I fall on this. At first I was blasting Cora and said he should never work as a number one guy on the bench in baseball ever again. He can be a bench coach or hitting instructor or whatever.
But I also lean on the side of forgiveness after asking for it. Heck we all do stuff wrong and some of us Big Time stuff wrong. Yet our families maybe our jobs and our friends forgive us and we move on. Overtime that black Mark gets smaller and hopefully disappears. So yeah I’m not sure. I like your post but I’m all about asking for forgiveness when I’ve screwed up royally.
What exactly was proven that the Sox did in 18? Cora should not come back to any managerial position for what happened in Houston.
Cora’s attitude the entire time was defiant. There’s video of him making tongue in cheek remarks about the idea of other teams cheating while winking at the camera, knowing he himself cheated, or as if to say it’s okay to cheat so long as nobody knows, but hey I’ll go ahead and throw others under the bus I’m hoping I am not revealed to actually be driving- but it was revealed.
He made his apology about the pride of being Puerto Rican and not about his own mistakes. He did everything he could to not acknowledge his own culpability.
Sure, he’s got a great brain for baseball, but he makes for terrible Public Relations. He’s a stain on the sport.
There are also plenty of effective managers out there and no manager can fix a team by themselves and the Red Sox have issues beyond who’s manager.
No way do they bring Cora back.
Varitek isn’t the worst idea…
Ahhh Red Sox are old School. They should go old School and hire Whitey Herzog. I’m sure the African American ball players would like to refer to their managers 1st name in these most most difficult times. Remember we’re all in this together.
Who are you? Second crummy take I’ve read from you today. You’re better than that, right?
LOL awesom! Love the comment!
I would rather See Jasom Varitek get a chance to manage over bringing Cora back. Cora had bis chance and any success will always come with a question mark around it.
How do we know if Jason Varitek would be a good candidate to manage the big league club? I’m not saying you’re wrong or it’s a bad idea, I’m just looking for evidence. I mean catchers are usually pretty good at managing a ballgame so there is that. What else?
He was on the short list with Cora after Farrell was fired and was on the short list after Cora was fired before they “promoted” Roenicke so it stands to reason ownership must think he could do it. If he wants to is another issue entirely
TEK TIME
Whats worse? Cheating to win? Or cheating your taxes? Humans cheat…….since when did Hinch n Cora become Himler and Speer?
It doesn’t matter who the manager is if they don’t fix the pitching staff
Time for Tek
The rumor is that the Red Sox plan to have both Jose Canseco and Manny Ramirez co manage the Red Sox, with Jason Giambi as the bench coach and Robinson Cano as the hitting coach. The pitching coaches will be Clemens and Pettite. Apparently they will all fit right in to the organization´s philosophy.
Ivan – exactly why Bloom will not pick Cora or any of the clowns you mentioned.
Funny to read the comments about Cora. The biggest lying cheater in the country lives in the White House but don’t let Cora have a job. Whatever.
Don’t judge a man you’ve never met. There’s plenty who say the opposite of you. But I understand…, its cool… there’s a huge division in this country and that’s what makes it great. We can believe what we want. I’m for that all day long.
Take this with as large a grain of salt as you’d like as I’m a Yankee fan, but I don’t think firing Roenicke is an indictment of him at all. This was a transition year for the Red Sox. Now that Bloom is in charge, he’ll want to put in place his own version of Kevin Cash, someone who is going to lead the Red Sox players and work with Bloom and the front office over the next five years. That wasn’t going to be Roenicke. He was fine for this season, but he was not a longterm solution. I don’t believe it will be Cora either. He wasn’t Bloom’s guy and the organization will likely want to move on from that period.
Yes I think you’re exactly right. A third of us on here have said the same thing. Spot on brother.
I wonder if the idea will be to find a manager with some experience? If not, Mike Lowell would be at the top of my list of guys to groom
I think someone from the Ray’s coaching family; Bloom knows them all.
This article is so flawed its laughable. First Astro’s cheated and the ringleader was Cora. The Astro’s had the ethics to fire their GM and Manager. They couldn’t fire Cora because he had moved on to Boston.. Boston was also investigated for cheating under Cora and it was found that they had cheated but to a lesser extent. (Using video to steal signs) again while Cora was the manager.,
Cora was not fired by Boston, he resigned prior to MLB passing sentence on him.
Roenicke knew he was only there for a year, he said that he would only take the job as Manager on an interim basis until Cora could return.
If Boston does rehire Cora which I believe they will do at the end of the W/S it only shows they have no ethical or moral conscience.
The other question I have is if the Astros Manager and GM and players were involved in cheating and got caught outright. The players got no penalty, the Mangers got a years suspension. Given that why are Pete Rose and Joe Jackson barred from their place in the HoF.. Rose should be there for his career as a player and Jackson may have taken the money but his record during the W/S shows he never played to lose and yet they both got life time sentences.
Outstanding commentary. Cora and the three amigos should have gotten a life ban because their crime was bigger. 1919 saw 5 games impacted by cheating and a World Series won through cheating. The Astros cheated in far more games (there were 90 home games and nobody knows if other ways of cheating happened during the home games). Cora designed and promoted the cheating system. Rose got banned for betting on games. Who in their right mind thinks nobody bet on the Astros to win when they were at home because they had an advantage? How many players, coaches and front office personnel placed bets based on every pitch being known that night? We don’t know. Maybe nobody but if a team is willing to cheat that way, why assume they didn’t profit from it, especially Cora? So if the three amigos got one year, Rose, Joe Jackson and everyone whose ever cheated should be exonerated if a year has passed. That would be the only fair thing to do if the commissioner doesn’t have the balls to ban the three amigos for life or at least 50 years..
Joel P please let Gerard know my comments about Jen being biased toward Cora got me banned from the site. Not sure why, no bad language, just a complaint that the article was biased in favor of a scumbag cheater.
I find it very annoying that most people’s recollection of Cora relates to 2018 when the Red Sox hitters nearly all had career years and he got credit for it without doing a damn thing. He behaved the exact same way in 2019 and the Red Sox sucked. Why? Because of injuries and bad managing that wasn’t compensated for by the hitters. Cora’s skill set starts and ends with bs. BS to make the media happy. They love the cheater.
So Cora was not only a bad manager but a serial cheater. He’s more qualified to be on a FBI most wanted list than a manager in the MLB. He should be thankful he didn’t get banned for life like he deserved. For me, anyone suggesting Cora should be involved in baseball again clearly has flexible scruples. I wouldn’t want my kids to play Little League for the guy. Behavioral issues don’t simply go away because you say you are sorry. Anybody have documentation of programs he attended while banned from baseball to help him stop cheating, lying and scheming to gain an advantage?
He was a meh baseball player who made a lot of mental mistakes and wasn’t very smart. Watched brother Joey have mental lapses also. Neither one should be overseeing talent on a major league roster. It would be like picking the one player on your favorite team that makes silly, little league mistakes your baseball manager 15 years from now.
That’s how I remember him too. That’s why it’s disgusting how people rave about his baseball savvy when he has none.
They rave because they are SJWs. It’s bias and unethical at-best. One of many reasons why the BBWAA should have their Hall of Fame voting privileges taken away.
I mean he was ok…