ALEX CORA HAS ‘GREEDY’ MESSAGE TO RED SOX OWNERS IN DIG AT YANKEES
Red Sox manager Alex Cora is asking for upper-level assistance after leading Boston on a hot steak.
When speaking to media before Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, Cora — whose team has won eight of its last 10 games — imbued Boston brass to be proactive and improve the team before the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
“We’ll see what happens in a month, month and a half. We’ve just got to keep playing better baseball,” Cora said, per CBS in Boston. “Let’s get greedy.”
Cora then noted that several squads above the Red Sox in the standings are not currently playing well and that Boston shouldn’t limit its ambitions.
“There’s teams ahead of us that, they’re not playing good baseball. I know one of them is probably only for five days, but there’s more out there,” Cora said, seeming to reference the skidding Yankees and the Orioles, who had lost five straight before winning Wednesday. “Let’s not settle for the third Wild Card. Let’s go higher, and see where the season takes us.”
Boston is back in the race after a strong surge.
The Red Sox sat at 33-33 entering June 10 but have since gone 10-4.
They are currently third in the AL East at 43-37 and tied for the AL’s third wild-card slot.
Earlier this month, Boston won two of three contests in their series against the Phillies (53-27) and the Yankees (52-30).
Boston’s lineup has benefitted from the red-hot Jarren Duran, who has a .394 OBP through the last seven games and tallied the walk-off hit Monday against the Blue Jays.
Pitchers Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford have also had great showings.
A part of Cora’s plea could stem from minimal movement at last year’s deadline.
The organization added utility infielder Luis Urias in August, although he was not impactful down the stretch.
Boston ultimately bottomed out in the AL East and finished the year at 78-84.
New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will have to discern whether his club is a legitimate threat that should be reinforced with assets — as Cora believes — or if this latest surge is a mirage.
With closer Kenley Jansen, slugging outfielder Tyler O’Neill and breakout hitter Rob Refsnyder all set to hit the open market at the end of 2024, Breslow could theoretically buy and sell.
If Boston aims to improve, it could try to add a high-end starter next to Houck.
The Red Sox rank eighth in starter ERA but could use supplemental arms — such as the Tigers’ Jack Flaherty or the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet — if they reach the playoffs.
2024-06-27T18:44:22Z dg43tfdfdgfd