Eight days have passed since Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow fired manager Alex Cora. It was a decision that sent shockwaves through baseball and made him the top candidate coming up for the 2027 season.
It is highly unlikely that he’ll be unemployed for long, and he’ll likely be back in an MLB dugout to begin next season. Just where that is remains to be seen. However, there have been some former players who have spoken about the firing. One of those players is former Red Sox catcher Christian Vázquez.
He is back with the Houston Astros after being traded there by Boston four years ago. His journey took him to the Minnesota Twins after a stint with Houston. The Astros are in Boston for their yearly trip, and Vázquez had an opinion on his former manager getting fired.
Former Boston Red Sox Catcher Opens Up on Alex Cora Firing
Boston and Houston will play the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. The Red Sox won the opener, 3-1, on Friday night, before the Astros took the middle game, 6-3, on Saturday afternoon. Before Saturday’s game, Vázquez spoke on his former manager’s dismissal.
“I was telling the guys with the Astros, it’s weird,” said Vázquez, via the Boston Globe. “You don’t see anybody there (you know) now. You don’t see Tek in the dugout. It’s weird and sad at the same time, because Tek is a legend — the last captain of this team. When you don’t see those guys there, it’s sad.”
If there is someone who got an up-close look at Cora’s work with the organization, it’s Vázquez. He was part of the 2018 World Series championship team that stormed through the regular season and postseason, taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Vázquez had some tough takes on the front office for future players in Boston.
“It’s going to be weird to play here. There’s nobody that you know to trust in the organization,” said Vázquez. “The manager has to have the full trust of players. They had one of the best, smartest managers in the game. (Cora’s firing) tells you that they don’t care about that (anymore). I think the relationship between the players and manager needs to be strong to have a championship team.”
Boston Red Sox Still Facing Backlash Over Alex Cora Firing
Breslow named Worcester Red Sox (Boston’s Triple-A team) boss Chad Tracy interim manager for the time being. He’ll likely get the rest of the season to see what he can do. Then Breslow will have a decision: hire him full-time or look elsewhere.
Vázquez was a beloved player in Boston and played a key role in the 2018 championship. He played enough in Boston to know what to expect on the field and what the fans expect on the field.
Change can be a good thing, but it doesn’t appear that this might be the case here. Cora was a manager players loved to play for. As far as Breslow goes, every move comes with backlash, and this one is no different.
Former Red Sox Catcher Takes Subtle Shot at Front Office Over Alex Cora Firing