The Boston Red Sox‘s wild ride in the 2026 campaign came to a close with a lifeless two-game sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees in their American League Wild Card series. The Red Sox did well to overcome a painfully slow start to the season, but they will enter the offseason with more questions than answers across the board once again.
If you need an example of Boston’s poor roster management from the past few years, you won’t have to search too hard to find a handful of the team’s former players starring for their new squads in the postseason. One player is Atlanta Braves superstar starting pitcher Chris Sale, who is gearing up for a huge outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Before taking the mound, though, Sale issued a surprising message to his former Red Sox manager, Alex Cora.
Chris Sale Gushes Over Alex Cora Ahead of Game 3 Start
In 2018, Boston ran riot in the postseason on its way to its most recent World Series title with one of the most dominant teams in recent memory. In the years since, the front office has gradually torn apart that team for various reasons, with the firing of Cora early in the 2026 campaign being the final move that destroyed any semblance of the 2018 squad.
Of course, there are reminders of what could be for the Red Sox if they just stayed the course and kept their core group together. Sale, whose final few seasons with Boston were riddled with injuries and poor performances, has enjoyed a stellar second act over the past few years with Atlanta. He immediately won the first Cy Young Award of his career in 2024, and if it weren’t for Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, he might have won another one this year (14-9, 2.16 ERA, 200 K, 0.98 WHIP).
With a wealth of postseason experience under his belt, Sale is one of the most dangerous pitchers in the league right now, and he will be tasked with giving the Braves a huge 2-1 series lead over the Dodgers in Game 3 of these two teams’ National League Division Series on Tuesday. When speaking to reporters on Monday, though, Sale offered a surprising anecdote on Cora, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight since his aforementioned early-season firing.
Atlanta ace Chris Sale gives high praise to former Red Sox manager Alex Cora, saying he has meant a lot to his all-hands-on-deck mentality, valuing his leadership skills that led to their 2018 World Series title,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared in a post on X. “Cora stayed in touch with Sale during the season, and sent a congratulatory text message after Sale’s relief performance in their Division Series clinching game.”
Red Sox Continue to Rue Their Failed Chris Sale Trade
There are a lot of moves you can fault the Sox for making, but it’s tough to say anyone expected Sale to find his form with the Braves after this trade. In his final five seasons with Boston, Sale made just 56 total starts, and his numbers when he was on the mound weren’t all that impressive (17-18, 4,16 ERA, 400 K, 1.14 WHIP).
The Red Sox are trying to reestablish themselves as a top-tier contender, but their inability to go out and get big-name superstars, or fully commit to the ones they have, continues to hold them back. A potential lockout looms for MLB, but Boston is going to have to do some serious work in order to ensure that whenever it returns to action, it has made the proper improvements to its team up and down the board.
Braves’ Ace Chris Sale Sends Strong Message to Former Red Sox Manager Alex Cora