The decision to fire manager Alex Cora started with general manager Craig Breslow, Boston Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said Sunday.
"Craig leads our baseball operation and he's made several bold decisions and recommendations, and this was one of them," Kennedy said during a news conference Sunday alongside Breslow in Baltimore. "That's why we took the action we took yesterday."
The Red Sox (10-17), who are in last place in the American League East, fired Cora and five members of his coaching staff Saturday. Chad Tracy, a former major leaguer and manager of Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Worcester since 2022, was named interim manager.
Kennedy said the decision to make the move was made Saturday morning and that he, Breslow and owner John Henry flew from Boston to deliver the news after Saturday's 17-1 victory against the Orioles.
Kennedy said Henry was part of meetings Saturday and Sunday morning, but he was not present at the news conference.
"Craig and I have a job to do, and this is our job," Kennedy said.
Not everybody is on board with the change. Veteran shortstop Trevor Story, who is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, told reporters that the explanation given to players from Breslow about Cora's firing wasn't "satisfactory."
"It's up in the air what the true direction of the franchise is," Story said, adding that he wants to talk further about the moves with Breslow. "Some of the best coaches in the world didn't get a fair shot."
Cora, 50, was in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract extension he signed in July 2024 that made him one of the highest-paid managers in Major League Baseball. The deal expires after the 2027 season.
"Yesterday was definitely painful, but we felt it was a necessary move, and we felt it necessary to take decisive action to achieve the goal of a fresh start for the 2026 season," Kennedy said. "We have full confidence in the players in that room to perform at the very highest level and get us back to playing baseball in October, which is the goal. Ultimately, what matters is the performance on the field at the major league level, and a new beginning starts today."
Breslow, who earlier characterized the decision to fire Cora as a collective one, will remain with the Red Sox during their road trip.
"By acting today, it gives us 135 games ahead of us," Breslow said, "so we've got almost a full season's worth of run to take advantage of this fresh start and ultimately to compete for a division and deep postseason run in the way that we talked about it and envisioned and believed heading into spring training.
"We believe in the group of players that we have in the clubhouse, down the hallway, and we believe that a new direction is warranted, new voices, and something that enables us to take a fresh start."
Breslow said the team has "full confidence" in Tracy, especially with his established relationships with the team's younger stars, but there's no telling what the season holds.
"We could be [hiring a new manager]; it could also be that that Chad is exactly what, you know, what we're looking for," Breslow said. "We have full confidence in him. We believe that to be the case, but you know, any time a team is not performing, I think you have to look at all options."
Outfielder Roman Anthony, who played for Tracy in Worcester, said the team will be held to the same standard and that "things are going to turn."
"You kind of just adapt and overcome," said Anthony, who will return to the starting lineup Sunday as designated hitter after missing three games with back soreness. "Tracy is going to be great."
The Red Sox initially hired Cora, a 14-year major league veteran, in 2018 after he spent one year as bench coach for the Houston Astros. The Puerto Rico native guided Boston to a 108-win season and the World Series title in his first year.
Boston failed to reach the postseason in 2019 before Cora resigned as fallout for his involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal in 2017. Commissioner Rob Manfred later suspended Cora for the 2020 season. The Red Sox rehired Cora upon his reinstatement, signing him to a two-year deal with club options for 2023 and 2024.
The Red Sox reached the postseason under Cora in 2021, advancing to the AL Championship Series, and 2025, when the Yankees eliminated them in the AL Wild Card Series to conclude a turbulent year. Boston won 89 games last season despite trading Rafael Devers, once considered a franchise pillar.
Boston entered Sunday tied for last in the majors in home runs (18), 28th in slugging percentage (.354), 29th in wRC+ (84) and 22nd in runs scored (112).
ESPN's Jorge Castillo contributed to this report.
