Alex Cora will be eligible to return to MLB next season when his one-year ban is over, but time will tell if anyone will want him.
Cora was suspended for his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and then fired as manager of the Red Sox.
Cora responded to a Twitter user Friday night who told him his “managing days are over.”
“Maybe I want to do something else,” Cora quipped in response.
Following MLB’s investigations into both the Astros and 2018 Red Sox, Cora was only disciplined for his time as Houston’s bench coach. Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom hasn’t given any indication he’d be open to bringing Cora back. Bench coach Ron Roenicke took over as full-time manager in the wake of Cora’s dismissal.
“At the time that we parted ways with Alex, we were clear that that was a result of his role and what happened with the Astros and everything the investigation over there revealed,” Bloom told reporters in late April. “It had nothing to do with what may or may not have occurred in Boston, and that’s still the case. All the reasons we parted ways then are still the case.
“My opinion of him is very high. I think people are complicated and people make mistakes. That doesn’t excuse his conduct in Houston. That’s something I’m sure he’ll have to own and I’m sure he will own.”
Cora, 44, led Boston to 108 wins and the 2018 World Series title in his first year with the team. They missed the playoffs last year and this season — following the trade of Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers — was largely viewed as a rebuilding one. Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy did leave the door open for a potential return for Cora, whose suspension will end in 2021 even if the entire 2020 season is wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic that has delayed its start.
“I’m a big believer in second chances and we all wish him well,” Kennedy said.