Alex Cora Details Call With Alex Bregman Right After Red Sox Deal
Alex Cora went to bed early Feb. 12, which resulted in the Red Sox manager missing 10 calls by the time he woke up later in the evening.
Cora’s phone was ringing off the hook that night because Boston agreed to terms with Alex Bregman, who was lingering in MLB free agency for months. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, franchise owner John Henry and Bregman himself all reached out to the veteran skipper to talk about the monumental pact.
Cora eventually returned Bregman’s call(s), and the World Series-winning manager shed light on the exchange Wednesday when he appeared on “Foul Territory.”
“He (Bregman) was like, ‘I signed with the freaking Red Sox,'” Cora said. “I was like, ‘What?’ because I gave up, you know? He was like, ‘Yeah, I signed with the freaking Red Sox,’ and he showed me (son) Knox with the hat of the Red Sox. Then he tells me (wife) Reagan is going to go to Harvard. I was like, ‘Man, you guys played us well. You guys did a good job.'”
While Cora joked that Bregman played possum with Boston, landing with the Red Sox was far from a foregone conclusion for the star infielder. In his own appearance on “Foul Territory,” Bregman admitted he thought he was going to sign with the Detroit Tigers before Boston went over the top with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Of course, Bregman’s and Cora’s celebrations about the deal were short-lived. At that juncture, the Red Sox’s preparation work for the 2025 season had already begun.