After the Red Sox announced that Ron Roenicke will not return as Boston's manager in 2021, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom addressed the possibility of former Sox skipper Alex Cora returning to his old job in an intentionally obtuse manner.
"I still don't really want to get into any detail on my thoughts on Alex," said Bloom, who took over as the head of baseball operations for the Red Sox last winter. "I don't want to say anything about Alex that I haven't already said to Alex, and obviously I haven't spoken to Alex. So, there will be a time when I can get into more detail on Alex and his situation and my thoughts on it. But that time isn't now, so I'm hoping everybody will respect that."
Bloom reiterated: "I don't want to elaborate, because I don't want to be saying things about him that I haven't said to him."
These words have provided a Rorschach test to be administered in Red Sox Nation in the weeks to come, and in a moment, we'll run through the many possible interpretations of what Bloom said, and why he might have chosen his language so carefully.
But let's cut to the bottom line: If the Red Sox's honchos don't rehire Cora -- if they actually pass on someone who led the franchise to its greatest season ever just two years ago -- they are ludicrous. Absurd. And could potentially court disaster if they pick somebody else.
The current circumstances don't really allow Bloom to publicly embrace the idea of rehiring Cora, who has a month left in his season-long suspension for the role he played in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing of 2017. If Bloom were to throw a lot of bouquets in Cora's direction, the thought police in the commissioner's office -- maybe even commissioner Rob Manfred himself -- would probably not respond too kindly, until Cora is officially released from baseball jail. It's possible that Bloom is actually enthusiastic about a Cora reunion, but politically, he might need to slow-play this.
It's possible that Bloom will rehire Cora after talking with other candidates, but only after exploring talent within other organizations. Teams do this all the time. When they have a prime job like that of manager open, they'll interview candidates even if they know a hire is unlikely in case a different job opens that could be a fit down the road.
It's also possible that Bloom has some inspiring candidates in mind and is leaning toward hiring his own guy. Dave Dombrowski was running baseball operations for the Red Sox when Cora was made the manager of the Red Sox, and it would not be unusual if Bloom veered in a different direction. During Bloom's tenure with the Rays, Tampa Bay was a popular factory for managers -- producing the Minnesota Twins' Rocco Baldelli, the Toronto Blue Jays' Charlie Montoyo, Derek Shelton of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Rays' Kevin Cash is regarded as one of the best managers in baseball, so Bloom's shared history of hiring those with skills for this particular job is excellent.
Cora is the easy play; he is the obvious play. It's such a unique opportunity for a big-market franchise such as the Red Sox to hire someone who had demonstrated he can handle the pressure of leading a team expected to win year after year. Not only does Cora know the Boston market and its media, having played for the Red Sox for years, but he has already worked in the city as a manager; he's already won in Boston. He already knows all the reporters on a first-name basis, already knows the strong talk-radio culture in the city.
Normally, a new manager would arrive amid questions about how he and his players will get along, but Bloom already knows the Red Sox's players love him, from Rafael Devers (who seemed to miss Cora's daily guidance in 2020) to Xander Bogaerts to J.D. Martinez. Cora is known to his peers as a stickler for preparation, and for his intense in-game managing. And Cora fits Boston because he competes with an edge, just as Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz did. Cora is one of the best managers in baseball.
Bloom must also think about the risk he would take on if he ignores the obvious pick and doesn't hire Cora. Imagine if Bloom selects somebody else and the 2021 season goes worse than expected (and there are plenty of reasons to wonder if the Red Sox will have enough pitching to move back into relevance in the AL East again).
And if you want to double-down on ugly hypotheticals, imagine if Cora -- spurned by the Red Sox -- took a job elsewhere and won while Boston was losing. How do you like them apples?
All of that would make for the ultimate Boston sports media recipe for castigation, for second-guessing. Willie from Worcester, filled with high-octane caffeine from Dunkin', would be calling in every day to ask what Bloom was thinkin' when he could've just hired the guy everybody already knew is a good manager for Boston.
Sometimes the obvious answer is the right answer. Alex Cora is the right answer for the Red Sox.