How the Red Sox Move On

The Boston Red Sox parted ways with Alex Cora today in the midst of fallout from the Houston Astros stealing signals from other teams in the middle of games. The process was devised by Cora and practiced by Astros on the bench when the team was at bat.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch was initially suspended for one year by Major League Baseball. The Astros proceeded to fire Hinch as a result of an investigation by MLB that not only mentioned Hinch but also Cora several times in the final report.

The Red Sox didn't know what was going on when they interviewed and ultimately fired Cora but were faced with a difficult prospect when Cora's name was attached to the investigation. This was a team that won the World Series in Cora's first year running the Red Sox then dropped to third place and missed the playoffs. No problem. A team like the Red Sox rarely needs more than one offseason to regroup and contend for the playoffs. Cora is a good baseball guy who could see the team through that regrouping.

Now it's different. Spring Training (I hate "Truck Day") is less than a month away and the Red Sox are without the guy who writes out the daily lineup card and decides the starting rotation. He's the guy who oversees everything and has the final say in what happens on the field. What are the red Sox to do?

Own the problem. The franchise has taken a step in the right direction. Cora walked away. He parted ways with the Red Sox. This allows Cora to say, "I screwed up and I own up to what I did." This will help him down the road when he looks for another job in the Major Leagues. This also allows the Red Sox to say they don't tolerate cheating. They found out someone in the organization was cheating and they handled it in a way that was above-board. The team also had little chance to do anything else since they have already been disciplined by MLB for using cameras to steal signs in the 2017 season. Officials already had their eyes on the team.

Step two: Promote Bench Coach Ron Roenicke to Manager. Don't make it an interim hire. Make him your guy so there is no question in the clubhouse who's in charge. Give him a two year contract with an automatic one-year extension if they make it to the ALCS. If Roenicke doesn't work out, you are back to square one and will be in the same position as everyone else when it comes to looking for a manager and a coaching staff. The Red Sox have the talent and the means to field a contending team. Roenicke has familiarity with the players and can be a sign of consistency for the players in a day and age of "Clubhouse Guys" being important. That is a title usually reserved for players but a coach can be just as good of a Clubhouse Guy. Players need something to make the Post-Cora Era smooth. Roenicke can be that guy. The team can start to put this behind them and the P.R. Department can start with one of the biggest rebuilding projects in franchise history.