"He could be sitting there for the richest team in baseball"- John Tomase weighs in on 'nightmare scenario' of Alex Cora joining his AL East rivals
The New York Yankees have been struggling of late and rumor has it that Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora might don the pinstripes soon. This has been predicted by John Tomase of NBC Sports, who detailed this as a "nightmare" for Boston.
For the last three years, the Yankees have been following the same pattern of starting hot and losing steam later in the season. Aaron Boone could be in the crosshairs, and the richest team in the league could be looking to replace him. The Yankees have a competitive team but they are coming up short, going 7-3 in their last 10, and questions are being asked.
Here's what Tomase said on NBC:
"I mean, you're looking at Alex Cora putting himself in contention for manager of the year with the Red Sox, has his team vastly overachieving. You go to New York for the third year in a row, they are falling apart after a hot start. This is reaching like epic proportions. They have the worst record in baseball over the last 22 games."
On June 12th, the Yankees were 14 matches ahead of the Red Sox but that has since been cut, with NY at 56-38 and Boston at 50-41. Though the Yankees have invested to get top players like Juan Soto and Gerrit Cole, there are concerns they will fall short and Aaron Boone might take the blame.
"And lo and behold, Alex Cora could be sitting there for the richest team in professional sports. I know the Yankees don't spend like they used to, but manager money is not ace money."
Alex Cora doesn't mind aggressive Red Sox plays in 5-2 loss
The Boston Red Sox's attempt to chip away at the Oakland Athletics' lead in Wednesday's game resulted in a baserunning out at home plate. With the score at 3-1 and Jamie Westbrook on first base after an error, Ceddanne Rafaela's double off the Green Monster presented an opportunity to reduce the deficit.
Red Sox third base coach Kyle Hudson aggressively waved Westbrook home, aiming to capitalize on the scoring chance. However, a strong throw from Athletics shortstop Max Schuemann cut down Westbrook at the plate.
However, Alex Cora did not mind such a play decision, as he believed that it aligned with the play style of the team. He said as much to reporters after the 5-2 loss:
"Very aggressive. We’ve been aggressive for 80-something games, so we’ll take it. We’re going to push the envelope. Most of the time it’s going to work, on that one it didn’t work.”
The Red Sox tried everything to get back in the game, something that Cora appreciates.