15 October, 2017
Few major league coaches have received as much praise in the early stages of manager searches than Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora. As with Varitek, however, the Red Sox might be drawn to the familiarity that Cora has with the organization. Because Houston is playing in the American League Championship Series the Phillies cannot interview him until the Astros season is officially over, but he'll be discussed and references will be pulled. Serving in his first year as Astros bench coach, he also has experience managing in the Puerto Rican Winter League.
Cora, who played for both the Mets and Red Sox during his playing days, has interviewed for managerial jobs before in previous offseasons, including with the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Dombrowski spoke with Astros manager A.J. Hinch on Thursday and got a strong recommendation regarding Cora, according to Peter Gammons.
Despite winning 93 games and the AL East in back-to-back seasons, the Red Sox still have a relatively young roster.
Dombrowski said "it will be very important" for the next Red Sox manager to relate well with young players and help develop them as future leaders of the team. It's a great foundation for a baseball club. "I'm proud of him because he has been able to influence players very, very quickly".
