Boston Red Sox
“We made a decision on the last [contract] to keep it at three years, and there was a reason.”
Alex Cora has a chance to surpass Terry Francona for second-most wins by Red Sox managers all-time. Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP
March 20, 2026 | 6:58 PM
3 minutes to read
2026 will mark Alex Cora’s eighth season as the manager of the Red Sox.
He reached the pinnacle in his first season with a World Series victory in 2018. There have been plenty of hardships along the way, too: his firing in 2020 amid the fallout from the Houston Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal, back-to-back losing seasons in 2022 and 2023, and missing the playoffs for three straight years (2022-24).
Factor in managing hundreds of different player personalities along the way, let alone actual game play every season, and one is bound to experience burnout.
However, it doesn’t sound like Cora is thinking about what comes next.
While he has publicly admitted that those consecutive losing seasons took a toll on him mentally, he’s happy with the state of the Red Sox entering this year and looks forward to finishing his current contract. His deal is good through the 2027 season.
Cora recently fielded questions about his future with the organization from The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham.
“Honestly, we’re in a good spot. I think the family is happy and things here look tremendous, right?” Cora said when asked where he sees himself when his contract expires. “We have a bright future. The cool thing is that we’re not talking too much about the future. We’re talking about the present.
“That’s what I want. I get that you have to go through phases through your career and there were tough years here. But now I think everything is in place, I feel strongly about what’s going on here. We’ll see what the future holds.”
Cora signed a three-year contract extension in July 2024. He’s reportedly earning more than $7 million per season.
Given that his deal will be up next fall, it’s reasonable to assume that extension conversations would start taking place at some point in 2026. Cora wouldn’t share whether he’s going to engage in those discussions, or if he’ll even want to continue managing beyond 2027.
“We have to talk about it. We made a decision on the last [contract] to keep it at three years, and there was a reason,” Cora said when asked if he has an “end date” for managing in Boston in mind. “I like where the team is at. It’s fun again. We have a good chance to do what that group did in ’18. They only won one, but we can get to the playoffs consistently, and that’s what you want.”
Cora has long spoken about the fact that his family’s wants and needs are his priority when it comes to his professional future. When he inked his extension two seasons ago, he explained that his partner and his children consider Boston “home,” which was an important factor in his decision.
“We’re very happy with what this organization means to us,” Cora said (via MLB.com’s Ian Browne). “It’s the world. We’ve been talking for a little bit here, and talking to [my partner] Angelica [and daughter] Camila, and this is home for us. I just want to be happy and comfortable.”
His tune hasn’t changed. When discussing his Red Sox future, he noted that his elementary-school-aged twin sons’ education would be top of mind in his decision-making.
“I think if we’re going to continue to do this as a family, there’s big decisions to come like school. Right now [his sons] are in third grade and it’s easy. But fifth grade, sixth grade, it’s different. We have to make decisions based on that.”
On the diamond, a large career milestone looms for Cora. He needs to secure 134 more wins to tie Terry Francona for second place in all-time managerial wins by Red Sox managers.
Entering the 2026 season, Cora has 610 victories to Francona’s 744. It’s a threshold Cora will likely hit over the next two seasons.
Cora played under Francona as an infielder for the Red Sox from 2005-08, winning the 2007 World Series title together.
Cora’s Red Sox and Francona’s Reds will face off on Opening Day in Cincinnati next week.
Boston’s current skipper was “surprised” to learn how close he is to Francona’s Red Sox win total, but he has bigger goals in mind.
“Does it matter? No. Playing in October, that’s the most important thing,” Cora said. “Those are the cool days. You work so hard to make that happen, and hopefully we can continue to do that.”
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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