Red Sox make Alex Cora announcement amid last place season

Dec 11, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora talks to the media during the MLB Winter Meetings at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Clark-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox have had a hugely disappointing 2022 season, but as far as the team’s staff is concerned, no major changes are coming.

Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy made clear Monday that manager Alex Cora’s job is safe despite the Red Sox being in last place. The same is true of general manager Chaim Bloom.

“I am very comfortable saying Chaim and Alex will be back. And I am very comfortable saying there is a strong belief in the direction of the franchise from our ownership group,” Kennedy said Monday, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “That direction is continuing to build for the future, but also continuing to invest at the major-league level.”

In certain circumstances, Boston’s season would be cause for greater alarm. However, the Red Sox are taking a relaxed approach. Injuries were an issue, particularly to ace pitcher Chris Sale, but the team has also been plagued by underperformance by a number of regulars. That has the team sitting at 62-66, seven games out of the last AL wild card spot.

On the other hand, the Red Sox sticking with Cora is no surprise. Though they fired him after his role in the Houston Astros scandal emerged, they brought him back after one season away. He won a World Series as manager in 2018, so he has a lot of goodwill within the organization.