Name Redacted Podcast: Alex Cora talks Craig Breslow, 2024 expectations

The Name Redacted Podcast welcomed a very special guest to the show — Red Sox manager Alex Cora!

The interview started off with some good old-fashioned uniform talk! AC broke some MAJOR news about how the Sox will add some structure to their sartorial choices and when they will wear their ever-popular City Connect jerseys that are inspired by the Boston Marathon.

Jared asks Alex about his ongoing role with the Sox and his involvement in the search for a new head of baseball ops which ultimately led to his former teammate Craig Breslow. Cora said whenever asked he talked to people and he had the opportunity to meet with a lot of baseball execs and have some interesting conversations with a lot of people, including about him and what they like about him and what he could change. He said the conversations were solid and in the end, he thinks Breslow will have an impact on the organization, including investing in both player development and the Major League squad. AC said two years of finishing last is not acceptable to Red Sox Nation and the team knows that.

Jared asks Alex what clicked with Breslow during the interview process and showed that they were on the same page. Alex noted that Breslow’s strength is pitching, which is an area that the Sox have to get better at. In the last two years they have struggled in that area at the big-league level and developing pitchers isn’t easy. Cora notes that while the team did finish last, they have been right in the thick of things at various points. He says the Sox competed until they ran out of arms and listening to Breslow’s vision and how he plans on implementing it is intriguing and impressive. AC says Breslow has a pretty good idea and there’s conviction behind it and if the Sox can pitch better then they’ll be alright.

Alex notes that Fenway is always conducive to offense, as evidenced by guys like Jarren Duran and Triston Casas stepping up and Rafael Devers hitting 30 bombs and driving in 100 runs in a down year for the team as a whole. AC says he believes that Trevor Story is going to be OK and there will be some moves needed for the rest of the lineup, but if they can get the pitching straight the team will be alright and he believes they will improve.

Jared asks about comments from ownership about the Sox going full throttle and asks where Red Sox fans should be in terms of expectations for this offseason after a stretch of underwhelming moves.

Jared also asked AC about the infamous Winter Weekend event last winter where the Red Sox brass, including now former baseball boss Chaim Bloom, was booed mercilessly by fans. Cora said it was uncomfortable, but if you’re going to stand up there in 2019 after a World Series title or in 2022 after an unexpected playoff run you have to face the crowd. You have to be accountable, genuine and transparent in this market, Alex says. And for how bad it looked everybody on that stage felt uncomfortable but Chaim and team president Sam Kennedy did the best they could to explain things and hopefully things will be fun and not uncomfortable this winter.

For more of Alex’s conversation with Jared and the Name Redacted crew, check out the full interview on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you enjoy the show and want to give your support, don’t forget to pick up your Name Redacted Podcast T-shirt on the DK Shop!

Listen to the podcast or watch the video below for the full discussion!

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Alex Cora

• OUR MANAGER ALEX CORA JOINS THE SHOW! AC fills us in on a wild couple of weeks for the Boston Red Sox. We get his thoughts on Breslow as the new CBO, how he sees his role with the organization moving forward, expectations for the offseason, his best ejections throughout the year, plans and preparation for spring training, the future of the Yellow Sox, and what it was like to be a member of the KKSMVP voting panel. Big thanks to Alex! Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next week!

Watch more from the Name Redacted Podcast below!

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