On Tuesday the Boston Red Sox and their now former manager, Alex Cora as first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. Cora was amid the firestorm that is Major League Baseball’s biggest on-field scandal since the throwing of the 1919  World Series. 


Cora’s name was mentioned almost a dozen times in Commissioner Rob Manfred’s statement which was released on Monday. Cora was listed as the initiator of the sign-stealing using the monitor. 

As of now, the Red Sox are managerless, here we take a look at some probable replacements and my own predictions as to who’s on the Sox bench in 2020. 

In House Candidates:

Ron Roenicke- Roenicke, who is a baseball lifer, has managerial experience in the past. He was at the helm of the Brewers from 2011-2015. He won a division title in his first year but had an overall playoff record of 5-6 during his tenure. Roenicke is the warm glass of milk of candidates, he isn’t the sexy choice, but rather the calming one.

Jason Veritek- The Captian has been working with the Red Sox since directly after his retirement in 2011. In 2017, he transitioned into an on-field role working with the team’s pitchers and catchers. During his playing days, Varitek helped the Sox break the curse in ‘04 and then again in ‘07. To say he is the fan’s choice is an understatement. Fan’s were calling for Tek when John Farrell was let go at the end of 2017 and he’s the type of candidate that has been popular in Major League baseball as of late. The only question is if Chaim Bloom will stick in house (if he does I think Veritek is the only viable choice) or does he go with someone he’s comfortable with that he know’s from his Tampa Bay days. 

Outside Candidates:

Kyle Snyder- Snyder played for the Red Sox from 2006-2008 and won a World Series with them in 2007. Currently, he handles the Tampa Bay Ray’s pitchers. The Ray’s used a record 31 pitchers in 2019 and Synder handled them excellently having a team ERA of 3.56. Synder could be a good analytical option that Chaim Bloom is comfortable with.

Stubby Clapp- Clapp was promoted to the Cardinals first base coach at the beginning of 2019 after winning back-to-back Pacific Coast League championships on ‘17 and ‘18.  Clapp also led the Memphis Red Birds to a victory in the AAA Championship game against the Durham Bulls. Clapp is an off the cuff candidate known for doing backflips during his playing days, so much so the Memphis RedBirds made a bobblehead of him. Clapp also was selected as the Minor League Manager of the year in back-to-back seasons as well. 

The Long Shot Candidates:

Dustin Pedroia- Now before you click away as soon as reading this hear me out. Yes, it’s a long shot but Pedroia is someone who is incredibly respected in the Red Sox Clubhouse and has been seen as a mentor to a lot of the younger Red Sox (Rafel Devers, Xander Bogarts, Michael Chavis, etc). Although he has never coached an inning of professional baseball I think Pedroia will make a good manager one day, just maybe not today.

Bruce Bochy- Bochy stepped away from the Giant’s managerial job at the end of 2019. The sixty-four-year-old has won three World Series in his time with the Giants to go along with 2,000 career wins. Bochy has since said that he would like to manage again saying that his stepping away was more of a sabbatical than an out and out retirement.

Personally, I think that Jason Veritek will be hired on an interim basis by the Red Sox. This year will most likely be a wash for the Red Sox anyways with ownership looking to move money and be under the CBT. Should Veritek be hired on the interim basis he would be evaluated at the end of the season or he can be promoted to full-time manager at any time if ownership feels he’s who they want to go with.