With his contract about to expire at the end of the team’s season, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora found himself in an awkward predicament heading into the 2024 season.

This may be Cora’s last season managing the Red Sox, since there are reports circulating that he is prepared to step down from his present position.

Sam Kennedy, the team president, gave WEEI an explanation of their decision to keep Cora on a lame-duck deal on Tuesday.

“We brought in Craig Breslow after making the very difficult decision to fire Chaim Bloom, and it was imperative that our head of baseball operations, who is also our chief baseball officer, have the authority to make that decision,” Kennedy stated. We are putting it all on Bres, even if I don’t want to. He made the choice. That choice will be made by him, and in the end, it will be decided by Alex.

“They must spend some time working together as a pair. They had a terrific friendship, were teammates, and their families knew one another, so it’s different. However, they must witness more than just the season, the winter, and spring training. They must spend some time together before they can judge that connection.

With the exception of 2020 due to a suspension, Cora has managed the Red Sox for six of the last seven seasons. During his tenure, he has guided Boston to a 447-373 record (.545), which included a World Series victory in 2018.

But in the previous two years, the squad has also placed last in the AL East. Although it’s difficult to place a lot of the blame for the previous two seasons on him, he does have some guilt to bear.

In any case, it’s difficult to dispute Cora’s managerial abilities, and Breslow would best find a deserving successor if he doesn’t return in 2025.