Boston Red Sox Manager Comes Under Scrutiny And Sanctions After Derogatory Statement.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora bluntly labeled this offseason hot stove as boring. Except for the Dodgers, MLB’s free agency season offered little excitement.
“It was boring for the business, for the game, and there’s a lot of good players out there who should be somewhere getting ready for the season,” Cora said Friday morning at Fenway South.
Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed a desire for a free agency deadline Thursday at the Grapefruit League media day, suggesting it would prompt quicker deals.
The reigning Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, remains without a team.
Jordan Montgomery, a key figure in the Rangers’ 2023 World Series victory, is also jobless, spending the offseason in Boston while his wife fulfills her residency. J.D. Martinez, following a stellar 2023 season with the Dodgers, is in Miami on his fishing boat.
Free agency should be an integral part of the baseball offseason. The NBA’s free agent period dominates the sports landscape in early July.
Considering the larger number of roster spots in MLB, Manfred suggested making the free agent window anchored by the Winter Meetings.
No news is not good for the business,” Cora said. “As a baseball fan, I believe the best deadline was 2021 because we had the lockout, and the last two hours of that day were crazy.
Texas made their money and they won a World Series because they got two big boys over there [Marcus Semien and Corey Seager]. They did their job.”
This is not a Red Sox issue but an industrywide one. It’s concerning that Montgomery has spent the entire offseason working out at Boston College while the Red Sox, despite showing interest, haven’t made significant moves.
The Sox prioritize developing pitching talent internally, believing Kutter Crawford has the potential to be a good starter and Nick Pivetta can be elite with a better approach. However, acquiring more proven talent is also a consideration.