Alex Cora returns to the Red Sox

“Cora used the crash plan to create both, to decode the review room and to send out signs,” Manfred wrote in January. “Cora participated in both projects and, by participating in his action, implicitly forgave the players’ behavior.”

Soon, the Red Sox and Cora “agreed in mutual ways.” Although Red Sox officials said at the time that Cora had apologized to them, they did not apologize or admit wrongdoing in a statement issued by Cora’s team. Cora thanked the team’s executives and called his two seasons “the best years of my life” with the Red Sox.

Until April, when the MLP announced its investigation into allegations of red socks theft symptoms in the 2018 season, Cora first publicly apologized. He said he had taken “full responsibility” for his role in the Astros scandal and that the team’s collective behavior was “unacceptable”.

Manfred called the Boston signature theft scandal not regulated by the Cora MLP, which was “more limited in purpose and impact” than Houston. The only person who was properly regulated as a result of that report was Red Sox video replay operator J.D. Watkins only. At the time, Manfred announced that he would be suspending Cora for the 2020 season for his part with Astros’ identity theft.

During the 2019 season, the Red Sox fired Dave Domprovsky, the head of baseball operations who hired Cora and helped build the team that won the 2018 title. Syme Bloom replaced Tomrovsky as manager of Cora’s bench coach Ron Ronike for the 2020 season.

The Red Sox, rebuilt under Bloom, are one of the worst teams in the major leagues this year, going 24-36 in the disconnected season. Before the final game of the season, the Red Sox told Ronnie that he would not return as manager in 2021, sparking speculation once again that Cora would return.

“Cora is a great manager, the right person to lead our club in 2021 and beyond,” Bloom said in a statement Friday.