Boston Red Sox
“I said it the other day to you guys, like gratitude, man. That’s all I have in my heart is gratitude.”
The waiting game is over for Chad Tracy.
The Red Sox removed the interim tag on Tracy’s managerial title on Tuesday, naming him as the team’s full-time manager and signing him to a three-year contract that runs through 2029, with a club option for 2030.
Tracy, 41, replaced Alex Cora as Red Sox manager in late April and was at the helm of one of the more improbable mid-season turnarounds in baseball history.
After bottoming out with a record of 32-46 on June 24, Boston orchestrated an impressive run — including a 15-game win streak and a larger 31-5 run that carried the Red Sox out of the basement of the American League standings and eventually into a spot in the 2026 postseason.
Per ESPN Insights, the 2026 Red Sox are just the fourth team (in the World Series era) to make the playoffs after being 14 or more games under .500 in the same season.
In a video posted by the Red Sox on social media, an emotional Tracy discussed his new appointment in front of a clubhouse that rallied around him this summer in his first year at the helm.
“I’ll be super, super brief,” Tracy said in his speech to Boston’s roster. “I said it the other day to you guys, like gratitude, man. That’s all I have in my heart is gratitude. I’m really freaking happy. I’m really happy that I got to do it with all you guys. I obviously didn’t think I was going to be standing here back in April, and the fact that I am — I still pinch myself. I can’t believe it, and what you guys did, I’ll never forget it.
“But I’m grateful to all of you. I can’t wait to go do this [press conference] upstairs, get this [suit] off, put my uniform on, and get this back to being all about what you guys have accomplished, and going to the postseason and trying to win a fricking World Series, and the fact that I just said that is incredible to me.
“You guys went through so much. All of us went through so much — dating back to April, moving through May, and everything you went through, and you never stopped. You never stopped believing in each other. You never stopped fighting. And I am standing here today with this news because of you guys — because of everybody in this room, and I’m very, very grateful for all of you. And I’m really freaking excited that I get to stay here.”
Speaking to the media Tuesday afternoon, Tracy reflected on his long road to the big leagues. The former Worcester Red Sox skipper spent years in the minors before getting his opportunity with Boston earlier this year.
The son of former big-league manager Jim Tracy, Chad Tracy played in the minor leagues from 2006-14 with the Rangers, Rockies, and Royals before making the switch to coaching. He joined Boston’s organization in December 2021 after Chaim Bloom hired him as manager of the Worcester Red Sox.
“Twenty-two years to be exact, playing and coaching [in the minor leagues]. That’s a long time.” Tracy acknowledged. “Loved every minute of it. I was pretty committed to trying to achieve this as a player. And was committed to it from high school … Worked and gave everything I possibly could to try and make that happen.
“Different obstacles got in the way that didn’t allow it. And then made the choice that I’m going to start all over, at the very lowest level, and do it all as a coach. Because I love the game of baseball. … There’s a lot of pride in knowing how much time and effort was put in on my end.”
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