The Boston Red Sox moved on from former manager Alex Cora back in April and fully passed the baton to Chad Tracy.
Initially, Tracy was the interim manager of the Red Sox. Then, towards the end of the season, the Red Sox took the interim tag off and officially confirmed Tracy as the club’s manager moving forward. Cora, on the other hand, is still a free agent. The Philadelphia Phillies tried to bring him back to the dugout right after the Red Sox let him go, but Cora opted to sit out. Throughout the 2026 season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Cora and the Phillies would come together in the offseason, but that’s not happening.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that Cora told the Phillies that he is taking the 2027 season off. But Jon Heyman of the New York Post tossed out another idea that would be a Boston nightmare. Heyman cited someone close to Cora and said that if there is a team that could lure him back to the dugout, it would be the New York Yankees, although it’s unlikely at this time.
Now that would be the absolute worst-case scenario for the Red Sox. If Cora returned to the dugout and was in the National League, there would be no harm there. If Cora managed the Phillies and had success, there surely would be some fans who wondered if Boston made the right call, but it wouldn’t be a massive story.
But if Cora joined the Red Sox’s biggest rival and had success, that would be a story hanging over Boston every year. Boston faces off against New York 13 times in the regular season. Then, of course, there could always be playoff matchups. Boston has faced New York in the postseason in two straight seasons.
Losing to the Yankees in the playoffs in 2026 and 2025 has been tough enough. Imagine if it were the guy who Boston fired leading the charge against the Red Sox? It would be a nightmare scenario.
So, for Red Sox fans, they should be hoping that New York simply sticks with Aaron Boone for now and that this isn’t even a topic that continues to be talked about. The Red Sox have their own issues to work through this offseason. They don’t need to be thinking about the Yankees’ manager job.
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