Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora’s great expectations for 2018

Boston Red Sox: Alex Cora has much to prove

For Cora, it’s a year to prove himself. Despite winning a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017, he did it as a bench coach and not from the manager’s position. 2018 is the first scene in a chapter of life that Cora hopes is his longest — even longer than his 14-year playing career. He hopes to add his second ring as a member of the Red Sox. Management will later reveal that they hope it’s much sooner rather than later.

Henry sits up in his chair after some playful small-talk among the three. He reaches for his Liverpool lapel that sits on his suit. He removes it, leaving just the Red Sox lapel fastened onto.

“Gentlemen,” Henry states. “I’m all in on this season. You better be too”.

In the twenty or minutes or so that follow, Henry outlines what he expects of the team that he has his money on. Everything follows the theme of being all in on 2018.

To begin, Henry looks at Dombrowski.

“Dave, you know the deal,” Henry exclaims. “You are to do whatever it is to help this team win now. Give Alex here the best lineup to put on the field”.

Dombrowski nods and agrees to be the typical “Dealin’ Dave” that Major League Baseball has come to know.

“Sounds good, John,” says Dombrowski. “But what about the farm system? Do I have full permission to utilize it to improve the 2018 roster?”

“Win,” says Henry. “Whatever it takes. So long as we’re competitive, I’m content”.

Henry then turns his attention to the new guy in the room: the new manager. He knows that the expectations for Cora will be much more specific. They’re more unique, as this is Cora’s first time managing. It’s all a learning experience.

Henry begins with an old expectation that he’s given to every manager, player, and staffer for his Red Sox since he bought the team: beat the Yankees.

In his eyes, it’s an arms race — an arms race that the Yankees won on paper in the previous offseason by trading for the game’s biggest power hitter and putting him next to the game’s other best power hitter.

“It will most certainly be a heftier task than most years,” states Henry. “But I have full faith that this team can compete. We’re more balanced; our pitching is flat-out better. It’s you and new pitching coach Dana Levangie’s job to figure a way to get the heart of their lineup out. Once that happens, you’ll be able to beat them”.

Henry has come to realize that a culture needs to be formed in the clubhouse.