All can be true:
1. Alex Cora is one of the premier baseball minds in the sport and accomplished incredible things as Red Sox manager. One of the best they’ve ever had.
2. If you power rank the Red Sox problems this year, AC isn’t close to the top of the list. He wasn’t the one that left the Red Sox without any power. He’s not out there with a sub-.600 OPS. He’s not out there with a 9.00 ERA.
3. That said, the team is dramatically underperforming expectations. Most had this as a playoff team, they’re not close to that. 10-17 and ranked near the bottom of almost every stat imaginable. It’s a results business.
4. A fresh voice is sometimes needed. Cora managed 7 seasons, and a lot have been tough ones with unnecessarily subpar rosters provided to him. It can be taxing, and it definitely was starting to look like he wasn’t as happy on the job as he once was.
5. It’s Breslow’s team now. He pushed Cora and all of his guys out. Blame was undeniably placed. If the team doesn’t turn it around with those guys out the door, you can guess where ownership is gonna look next.