Red Sox manager Alex Cora is asking for help from higher-ups after stunning Boston with a hot steak.
Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, Cora, whose team has won eight of its last 10 games, called on Boston brass to be aggressive and bolster the team ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
“We’ll see what happens in a month, month and a half. We just have to continue to play better baseball,” Cora said. From CBS Boston“Let’s be greedy.”
Cora then noted that several teams above the Red Sox in the standings aren’t doing well right now and said Boston shouldn’t temper its ambitions.
“There are teams higher than us that aren’t playing good baseball. Maybe one of them is only in it for five days, but there are a lot of others,” Cora said, seemingly referring to the struggling Yankees and Orioles, who had lost five straight before Wednesday’s win. “Let’s not be satisfied with our third wild card, let’s aim for more and see how the season goes.”
Boston came back into the race strong.
The Red Sox were 33-33 on June 10 but have since gone 10-4.
The team is currently third in the American League East with a 43-37 record, and is tied for third place in the American League Wild Card division.
Earlier this month, Boston won two of three games in the series against the Phillies (53-27) and Yankees (52-30).
Boston’s lineup has benefited from a hot Jarren Duran, who is hitting .394 over his last seven games and hit a walk-off home run against the Blue Jays on Monday.
Pitchers Tanner Hack and Cutter Crawford also had impressive performances.
Part of Cora’s plea may be due to the fact that there was little movement before last year’s deadline.
The team acquired utility infielder Luis Urias in August, but he failed to make an impact down the stretch.
Boston ultimately finished last in the American League East, finishing the year with a record of 78-84.
New chief baseball operations officer Craig Breslow will need to determine whether his team is a real threat that should be bolstered with assets, as Cora believes, or whether this recent surge in growth is an illusion.
With closer Kenley Jansen, slugging outfielder Tyler O’Neill and breakout hitter Rob Refsnyder set to become free agents at the end of 2024, Breslow could theoretically be bought and sold.
If Boston is looking to improve, they may look to add a quality starter next to Hack.
The Red Sox rank eighth in starting pitcher ERA, but if they make the playoffs they may need a backup pitcher like the Tigers’ Jack Flaherty or the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet.
