Fresh off a 17-1 win, the Boston Red Sox made the bombshell decision to fire manager Alex Cora and much of his staff, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The timing was a bit strange, but with the Red Sox sitting at a wildly disappointing 10-17 even after their win on Saturday, it’s hard to say a change wasn’t needed.

While Craig Breslow did not put together the best roster, the Red Sox have clearly underperformed to this point, and it feels like not only were some of the lineups Cora put together rather odd, but their clubhouse has had some issues over the years as well. The Red Sox have named Chad Tracy as Cora’s replacement in the interim, but it’s far from a guarantee that he’ll hold the title beyond this season. Here are some names that might be able to bring Boston back to glory.

Chad Tracy

Current Role: Red Sox interim manager

The most obvious long-term replacement for Cora is the individual with the first crack at replacing him, Chad Tracy. The Red Sox decided to promote Tracy, their Triple-A coach, to the big league role, and it isn’t hard to see why.

Tracy has spent five seasons managing Triple-A Worcester and has done a great job. He’s managed countless top Red Sox prospects, headlined by Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Connelly Early (to name a few), and has played a big role in their development. Given how important the prospects, particularly Anthony, are to Boston’s current and long-term future, why not hire someone they’re comfortable with?

Tracy is going to have to prove he can win games at the big league level, but he’s got the clear leg up right now.

Andrew Bailey

• Current Role: Red Sox pitching coach

In addition to Cora, the Red Sox fired five coaches. Andrew Bailey was the most notable omission by far, and I can understand why. Sure, Boston’s pitching has underwhelmed a bit this season, but the reason Boston made the playoffs in 2025 was because of the work Bailey did with the pitching staff.

Boston’s pitching was so good in 2025 that the team ranked fifth in the majors with a 3.70 ERA. Bailey not only got the most out of Garrett Crochet, but he helped revive Aroldis Chapman’s career, helped develop Garrett Whitlock into an elite set-up man, and even got really good years out of guys like Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito.

Perhaps most importantly, Bailey was hired personally by Craig Breslow. There’s every reason to believe that, whether it’s justified or not, if he’s still employed, Breslow will consider promoting Bailey to manager if Bailey proves not to be the guy. Bailey is a highly respected pitching coach who might get looks elsewhere if Boston doesn’t promote him.

David Ross

• Current Role: ESPN analyst

The Red Sox should consider all options, and that includes an external candidate like David Ross. He has a relationship with Breslow as the two were teammates with Boston, and Breslow was in the Chicago Cubs’ front office when Ross managed that team. Breslow has every reason to consider Ross personally, and Ross’ track record as a manager isn’t too bad.

Yes, Ross had a losing record in his four-year tenure with Chicago, but he helped guide them through a short rebuild and had the team on the cusp of a postseason berth in 2023 before being fired that offseason and replaced by Craig Counsell. I don’t blame the Cubs for doing what they could to hire Counsell, one of the best managers in the game, but that doesn’t mean Ross deserved to be fired after an 83-79 season.

If Tracy, a manager who has no experience in the role in the big leagues, doesn’t pan out, hiring an experienced manager who had a winn ing record when last seen and has a connection to the Red Sox and Breslow could make a lot of sense.

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