Red Sox’s Alex Cora wants front office to be ‘greedy’ at trade deadline, slights AL East foes
Boston was at .500 earlier in June, but now own the third AL wild-card spot
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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has watched his team win eight of its last 10 games, a hot streak that has them in the third wild-card spot right now ahead of the All-Star break.
The Red Sox started off slow, and they were in a position many thought they would be after a new front office regime remained stoic during the offseason in terms of acquiring talent.
Now that Boston has shown they can compete in the tough AL East, as well as the American League as a whole, Cora has a message for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and general manager Brian O’Halloran.
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Manager Alex Cora of the Red Sox during the Tampa Bay Rays game at Fenway Park on Oct. 5, 2022, in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
"Let’s get greedy," Cora said, via CBS in Boston.
While the Red Sox have been playing well, the two teams above them in the AL East standings, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, respectively, have hit a cold patch.
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The Yankees have won just two of their last 10 games, while the Orioles were losers of five straight games before defeating the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.
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Cora decided to throw a slight jab at those two teams in the process.
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"There’s teams ahead of us that, they’re not playing good baseball," he said. "I know one of them is probably only for five days, but there’s more out there. Let’s not settle for the third wild card. Let’s go higher and see where the season takes us."
Jarren Duran of the Red Sox reacts after hitting a triple against the Texas Rangers on July 4, 2023, at Fenway Park in Boston. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
Boston was just a .500 team earlier this month, sitting at 33-33 with their eyes only on getting into that third wild-card slot. However, Cora has watched his boys go 10-4 since June 10, vaulting them up the standings and putting the front office in decision-making mode.
Do they get aggressive and try to acquire assets before MLB’s trade deadline, or do they remain status quo with the future in mind instead of selling off their own pieces to get new ones?
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The Red Sox could benefit from an additional right-handed power bat and starting pitching – always a premium for postseason-bound teams at the deadline.
Players like starter Tanner Houck, outfielder Jarren Duran and, of course, All-Star Rafael Devers have led the Red Sox to the thick of the playoff race midway through the season.
Manager Alex Cora of the Red Sox before the Seattle Mariners game at Fenway Park on May 15, 2023, in Boston. (Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
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But Cora, a manager who won a World Series in Boston in 2018, wants to see his roster expand.
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