- 6/17/2025
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00:00Joining us from the Pacific Northwest out in Seattle, where the Red Sox are 1-0 on the trip right now, is Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
00:07Alex, you got Dan, Ted, and Fitzy, and let's just start off. Anything interesting happened the last couple of days?
00:15Oh, we keep winning games, man. That's always good.
00:18There you go. All right. I like it. I like it a lot.
00:21All right. So regarding the Rafael Devers deal, Alex, when did you first hear that the team officially had decided to move on from Rafael Devers?
00:33You know, we've been talking about the subject for the last week, you know, obviously, you know, on Sunday, we got the news.
00:42You know, we, the deal went down after the game and, you know, we were at the airport and then we have to, you know, get Rafi, talk to him and let him know what happened.
00:55So, but there's been conversations and there's something that happens in every organization, right, as far as like the communication part of it.
01:02You know, you know everything. And then they kept me in the loop with what was going on.
01:08And, you know, we decided to make the move on Sunday.
01:12Alex, the leadership group, when they spoke yesterday, used the term inflection point in terms of when they realized this was this was going to become a reality.
01:19Was there any one point along the way or one instance where it became a certain thing that this deal was going to get made?
01:29I think we talk about the organization, right, and what we're trying to accomplish.
01:35And I'm not going to hide the fact that Rafi is one of the best hitters in the world.
01:39Right. We all know that. And, you know, we have to move on from that part.
01:44But as you guys know, throughout the offseason, we made some decisions during spring training.
01:50We made decisions during the season. Circumstances change it, change.
01:55And I don't think we were aligned in some of them.
01:59You know, one thing I appreciate from Rafi was that 705, 105, or 135, man, he posted, right?
02:06He did everything possible to help us win games.
02:09But, you know, as a group, you know, we decided that probably this is the best course of action for now and for the future.
02:18You know, and we talk about it as a group, and this is where we go on.
02:24And, you know, like I told the guys, it's a tough decision, one, that we don't have to ask questions about it, right?
02:31Our job here is to show up tonight and try to win the series, and then hopefully we can switch tomorrow.
02:36You saw the group yesterday. There was a lot of energy the way they talk about it.
02:41And we all love Rafi, but we have to move on.
02:44And to be honest with you, we went through this a few years ago, and we failed at it.
02:50You know, when we traded Christian, I think it was in 22, right, 22?
02:55And the mood of the group was down.
02:57We didn't play well right after that, and it felt a lot different yesterday.
03:00You know, the guys showed up, and obviously we pitched well.
03:03Alex, you know, now that Rafi's gone, obviously the DH position has opened up.
03:08But I'm just curious, you know, now that he's left, how does this change your approach offensively,
03:13and how do you look at that DH position?
03:17Yeah, I think now, obviously, we got yesterday with Campbell.
03:24Today is going to be ref Niter.
03:27Willier, he comes back most likely on Friday.
03:31He's going to rehab the summit today.
03:32He's going to DH in Worcester.
03:33Sure, and I think here, you know, now that we got this situation,
03:40Maza comes into play, right?
03:42Like, I mean, he's been able to swing the bat throughout the process.
03:46The throwing has been an issue.
03:48So we got to sit down as a group and decide what's best for Maza, what's best for us.
03:54And if we have to speed up the process because he can hit, we can go that way.
03:59And there's a lot of moving parts.
04:02You saw the lineup construction.
04:04Even with Rafi over the weekend against the lefties, you know, we moved ref and Romy to the top of the lineup.
04:10So we're going to be creative.
04:12I think the guy on the mound is going to dictate who we have.
04:15Let's say if he has a good fastball, well, we'll put our best fastball hitter in that spot.
04:20You know, if it's ref or Romy.
04:21And we'll make some match.
04:23But I think as a unit, as a group, we're in a good spot.
04:25And we can be creative, match up with them late in games.
04:29And we're going to maximize that.
04:30I'm not saying we're going to miss – I'm not saying that we're not going to miss Rafi Devers offensively
04:34because, like I said before, he's one of the best in the world.
04:39But there's a unit that we have, and we're going to maximize the group.
04:42Alex Cora, Red Sox manager, joining us here on WEI Afternoons from out in Seattle.
04:47Well, Alex, you referenced, you know, decisions being made in the offseason.
04:51It's widely believed that you were pivotal in bringing in Alex Bregman,
04:57who was having a hell of a season until he hurt himself a little less than a month ago.
05:00Hopefully he comes back soon.
05:02Breslow mentioned this as well.
05:04And I just want to ask you if you felt like there was anything that you could have done differently
05:07at any point along the way to prevent how the Devers situation ultimately played itself out.
05:14I think if we talk to both groups, we will both admit that probably yes, you know,
05:21but at the same time, man, like, the Alex situation happened right at the end, you know.
05:26And, you know, we communicated when we had to, you know, when we were very close.
05:33And then after that, you saw what happened.
05:36So, you know, yeah, I mean, you always try to think ahead and, okay, if this happens again,
05:41how can we handle it better, but at the same time, man, it's not a given.
05:46It wasn't a given that Alex Bregman was coming here.
05:48There were a lot of rumors, you know, and I got to spring training very early
05:52to talk to Rafi about what was going on and what might happen, you know.
05:56And obviously, you know, it looks like the communication wasn't good enough for his camp.
06:02Alex, on that topic, the pejorative term that's been thrown around in years past
06:06was that you were kind of the Devers whisperer, having a great relationship with the player.
06:10How would you describe your relationship with Rafael Devers over the years?
06:14And did it change at all as the years went along?
06:18No, it was good.
06:19It was good.
06:19It's still good, you know.
06:20And, like, one of the things that I try to tell our players, you know,
06:25and this is the reality of it, right, like, decisions on this business, you know,
06:31is their business decisions, you know.
06:33It's not personal, right?
06:34Like, if we decide for you to be at the DH, it's not because we all of a sudden
06:39we're going to punish you and DH you, you know.
06:42It's where we're at as a group and as an organization, and that's why it was asked.
06:47And, you know, if the player take it personal, then their relationship wasn't as great, right?
06:52So, and me and Rafi, we have a good one, you know.
06:54I wish him nothing but the best.
06:56Obviously, not this weekend, but I think it's going to be okay in San Fran.
07:01Obviously, you know, they needed a bat.
07:03They got it.
07:03And where they are right now in the standings, I truly believe, you know,
07:08they're going to be in the spot the upcoming months.
07:11Alex, is there expectations now that, you know, Rafi's gone and his big contract is gone,
07:17that there's more financial flexibility?
07:19And is there expectations to the front office that they need to maybe make a bold move
07:23at the trade deadline to get, you know, to really, you know, improve your team
07:29and see how you guys can finish strong?
07:33Yeah, the way I see it is up to us now, right?
07:36Even with Rafi or without Rafi, we need to put pressure on the front office
07:41and ownership, you know, for them to do that.
07:43You know, we're two games over .500.
07:45If the season ends today, we're in the wild card spot, right?
07:48We've been playing well the last two weeks, and the reason is because we're pitching.
07:52So just keep playing, piling up wins, keep pitching well, and if we do that, you know,
07:59I truly believe that we're going to be in the spot going into the trade deadline,
08:03and it's going to be a lot different than the last few years.
08:05Alex Cora, Red Sox manager, here with us on WEI Afternoons from Seattle.
08:10So, Alex, one word that we have heard used a bunch.
08:13Sam Kennedy used it, Craig Breslow, and actually you even referenced it earlier.
08:18Alignment.
08:19You're aligned now.
08:21Everyone's aligned.
08:21So that seems to be the big takeaway, the big bingo word.
08:25So would you say now that with Rafael moving on to San Francisco,
08:31hopefully there's less discord in the clubhouse,
08:33would you say that management, ownership, yourself,
08:37everyone is in alignment going forward and that there's no more,
08:40no one else is upset in the clubhouse?
08:42I thought throughout the offseason and throughout the start of the season,
08:47we were in the same page.
08:48It just happened that we had to make a big decision here,
08:52and it was trading Rafi, and it's not about opening spots in my belief.
08:58You know, this is about, you know, this is what we needed to do for us to keep moving forward.
09:02And we got two good arms that I truly believe they're going to help us sooner rather than later.
09:07We need pitching.
09:08We got it.
09:09Like I said before, one of the best hitters in the world is going to be hitting San Francisco most of the games.
09:15He's not going to be with us.
09:16But like the guys said yesterday, we have to turn the page.
09:20And I know it sounds harsh, but the less we talk about Rafi, you know,
09:25the better it's going to be for the group.
09:26We love him.
09:27We're going to miss him.
09:28And we wish him nothing but the best.
09:30But we have to show up today and try to win the series.
09:32Alex, as you talk so much about how your group had energy yesterday
09:36and really kind of bounced back after that seismic day on Sunday,
09:39who were the voices that you were hearing the loudest,
09:41the de facto leaders that were helping your group get through what was a pretty tumultuous time?
09:46Yeah, I think, you know, the veterans, the veterans that there's a lot of people here
09:54that, you know, they're new to the organization, right?
09:57Like they know Rafi as a teammate the last three months, right?
10:02But they understand how it works.
10:04You know, Walker Buehler, Garrett Crochet, Justin Wilson, and then Trevor Story,
10:11Rob Refreinder, they've been here the last few years.
10:14One of the messages, too, and I'm going to be very clear,
10:17we cannot question the front office because the last four years we've been below average, right?
10:25So, you know, we have to be better.
10:28We're playing better the last two weeks, of course, you know, and now we're in a better spot.
10:32People are talking about the wild card.
10:34You see what's going on in the division, you know, the Yankees, the Rays, Toronto,
10:39and us, it seems like if we continue to play this way, it's what people expected before the season.
10:46It's going to be a dark side all the way to the end.
10:48But as a group, we have to keep improving because the last few years are not acceptable.
10:53Alex, a lot of talk about culture, really, from Breslow and Kennedy,
10:58both talking about kind of culture and first impressions.
11:01You know, how important is that to you as you see having a good, strong culture as being imperative
11:09if a baseball team is going to go where you want them to go?
11:15Well, sometimes I question if we're doing it right, to be honest with you,
11:20because we haven't been good, you know, and like I said a few weeks ago,
11:23I take a look in the mirror, you know, and say, hey, are you doing it right?
11:26Do we have to make adjustments?
11:27I've never seen a good team or a winning team having bad chemistry, right?
11:33But there's been a lot of bad teams, too, that have good chemistry.
11:37You know, they get along.
11:38The thing is that they don't have the talent to win a lot of ballgames.
11:41So I truly believe in my principles as a manager.
11:45Hopefully, you know, the players are buying into it and we can keep moving forward.
11:50And like I said, we've done it before here.
11:53We did it in the 18th.
11:54We were really good in 21.
11:55But the other ones, we've been bad below average.
11:58So we're about to see what's going to happen.
12:01But yesterday was a good start after the roughy trade.
12:05There's no denying, Alex, the pitching has been awesome.
12:08You guys have pitched to a one ERA over the last four games, winners of six in a row.
12:12It's been pivotal.
12:13And obviously, there was a lot of pitching that came back in the trade as well.
12:17So you said you've got some good arms back.
12:20How do you plan on deploying those guys?
12:22And what would you see Jordan Hicks' role potentially being on the Sox pitching staff going forward?
12:29Yeah, Hicks, he's, you know, he's in Boston right now.
12:32There's a good chance he's going to throw a live BP in the upcoming days and go on a rehab assignment next week.
12:39I've got to talk to Bress about it, but it looks like we're going to use him in the bullpen.
12:43And, you know, that's another good arm, you know, throwing 98, 99 and then having an extra arm,
12:49especially losing Justin Slayton for an extended period of time.
12:53Harrison, man, he's been in the Raider.
12:56You know, a lot of people have been talking about him for a while.
12:58He has this unique fastball that we truly believe is going to impact the game.
13:04And he's going to be in Worcester.
13:06We're going to make some adjustments in certain things that we recognize,
13:12obviously scouting him and watching video.
13:15But I think this kid is going to be one of those that when he comes here,
13:19he's going to impact this team and help us win a lot of games.
13:22Alex, you talked about the timeline for Willier-Abreu a moment ago.
13:26You've had a lot of injuries to navigate during this season.
13:29Any other timelines you can update us on,
13:31specifically anything with Alex Bregman that you're hearing?
13:34Alex is improving.
13:36And, you know, the way he feels, the way he's talking about it,
13:40way ahead compared to the same injury when he was with the Astros.
13:46I don't have the timeline from that year.
13:50But the way he's talking, you know, I don't want to say in a month
13:54or less than a month, I don't want to put pressure on him.
13:57But it feels like it's going to be sooner rather than later.
14:00You know, in the beginning, I thought it was going to be longer.
14:02But it seems now that he should be with us soon.
14:06And I'm not talking about soon this week or next week.
14:08But you know what I mean.
14:09Like, it's not going to take two months.
14:11So that's good.
14:12Slayton, still not throwing, feeling better.
14:17Tanner Houck is going on a rehab assignment tomorrow.
14:20So I'm feeling better as a group.
14:23The guys are working hard.
14:24And like I said, man, this group is ready to go.
14:26And we get a chance today to win the series.
14:28Well, obviously, Alex, it's been a very action-packed last 72 hours.
14:32Not to mention the fact that you won 5-6 against the Yankees.
14:35Like I said, six-game winning streak.
14:37The team seems to be responding well.
14:39The rookies are adding some energy as well.
14:42And you've got a lot of work ahead of you.
14:43But we appreciate you taking some time to join us from the Pacific Northwest.
14:47Good luck the rest of the way.
14:48And we're looking forward to talking to you next week.
14:51Thank you, guys.
14:52Be well.
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