Boston Red Sox: The next shoe is likely to fall on Alex Cora
By Bill Felber
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was implicated in Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and is now likely to be the next to be punished.
The actions taken by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred with respect to the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal will have ramifications beyond the Houston franchise itself…and particularly in the Boston Red Sox. Manager Alex Cora was directly implicated in the Manfred report, which identified him as the most active staff-level participant in the scheme.
Cora left the Astros following the 2017 World Series to become manager of the Red Sox, and led them to the 2018 World Series.
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This is what the Manfred report said with respect to Cora.
"“…Early in the season, Alex Cora, the Astros’ Bench Coach, began to call the replay review room on the replay phone to obtain the sign information. On at least some occasions, the employees in the replay review room communicated the sign sequence information by text message, which was received on the smart watch of a staff member on the bench, or in other cases on a cell phone stored nearby….“…Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams’ signs and communicating the signs to the batter. Cora arranged for a video room technician to install a monitor displaying the center field camera feed immediately outside of the Astros’ dugout. …“…the 2017 scheme in which players banged on a trash can was, with the exception of Cora, player-driven and player-executed. The attempt by the Astros’ replay review room staff to decode signs using the center field camera was originated and executed by lower-level baseball operations employees working in conjunction with Astros players and Cora. …“…Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs. Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’ conduct. I will withhold determining the appropriate level of discipline for Cora until after the DOI completes its investigation of the allegations that the Red Sox engaged in impermissible electronic sign stealing in 2018 while Cora was the manager.”"
The last paragraph refers to a more recent report about sign-stealing taking place in New England during the 2018 season when Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was field manager. That investigation, which is separate, continues with additional penalties possible.
Next. New York Mets: no punishment for Carlos Beltran... yet. dark
On the MLB Network, Monday afternoon, widely respected analyst Peter Gammons predicted that Cora will also, at minimum, eventually face a suspension of some length.