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Red Sox’ Alex Cora on Kyle Schwarber signing: ‘I had a pretty good idea that was going to be the route’
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- Red Sox’ Alex Cora on Kyle Schwarber signing: ‘I had a pretty good idea that was going to be the route’
ORLANDO — In July, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he’d be “very intrigued” to see where Kyle Schwarber would end up as a free agent this winter. After news broke that the slugger had agreed to return to the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal Tuesday , though, Cora wasn’t surprised.
“I had a pretty good idea that was going to be the route,” Cora said on Day 2 of the Winter Meetings. “Talking to Dave (Dombrowski) throughout the season, I don’t know if it’s official or not, but he knew that he was a huge part of what they were trying to accomplish and moving forward. So not surprised that if this comes true, it’s with them.”
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Cora managed Schwarber in the second half of the 2021 season, when he starred for the Red Sox after a midseason trade from the Nationals.
“Good for him,” Cora said. “He earned it. I mean, the guy -- he’s really good at what he does and what he brings to the equation on the field, off the field, to the community is probably second to none. He’s just one of those that I had the pleasure to manage him in ’21. And in a short period of time, the way he impacted the Red Sox organization, the city, I haven’t seen too many of those in our environment, in our market.”
The Red Sox were one of many teams who tried to pry Schwarber away from Philadelphia in recent weeks with the Mets , Orioles, Reds and Pirates among the others who were reportedly involved. It’s unclear if the Sox came close on landing him. Cora was coy when asked about his recruiting efforts with Schwarber.
“We’ve been talking to a lot of people, him included,” Cora said.
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With Schwarber off the market, the Red Sox are still talking about adding other big hitters to their lineup. Free agent Pete Alonso is an obvious fit and is planning on taking meetings with clubs, including potentially the Red Sox , on Tuesday in Orlando. Bo Bichette , Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez represent other free agent options while Arizona ’s Ketel Marte may be had in a trade, too.
Cora, like chief baseball officer Craig Breslow , believes adding a big bat is a top priority at this juncture.
“I think if we go that route, it’s somebody that is going to hit in the middle of the lineup,” Cora said. “People talk about balance, the lefty/righty thing. I don’t know, the way the games are managed now, it’s okay to have a lot of lefties, understanding that you’ve got to have some good righties on the bench.
“There’s different ways to improve the lineup. It can be trades. It can be free agency. It can be player development. So, like I said before, let’s see what happens.”
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