Latest Alex Cora-Yankees rumor is an Aaron Boone betrayal we never saw coming

During Alex Cora's entire tenure leading the Boston Red Sox, their rivalry with the New York Yankees always felt odd. Part of that was Cora's freshman season, in which his Sox surged to a ridiculous 108 wins, invalidating the Yankees' cute little Giancarlo Stanton chess move and dispatching the Bombers in four games in the ALDS. It was the first year for either skipper at the helm, and the Yankees seemed doomed to mediocrity in comparison (jury's still out on how much of an edge the replay room gave Cora that year).

As their tenures dragged on concurrently, though, things stayed weird even as Boston's dominance waned. That odd feeling largely came out of how close Cora and Boone were, dating back to their days at ESPN (and perhaps as NL infielders on a similar timeline, too). Their friendship pervaded remaining head-to-heads, and while the Yankees and Red Sox split their two playoff matchups (2021 and 2025).

Now, Cora is gone - and his absence was felt, as new manager Chad Tracy absolutely handed the Yankees a bone in the Wild Card Series. Cora was expected to return to manage the 2027 Phillies, up until this week, when it came out he preferred to stay away from the game during the lockout. Except ... well ... maybe not? In a way that feels crazy?

According to Jon Heyman on Thursday in the Yankees' post-elimination wake, the rumors of Cora preferring to take the year off are true, but a source close to the manager reportedly believes that only the Yankees could lure him back earlier.

Either there is some genuinely shady sh*t going on, or he and Boone hashed things out ahead of this leak and agreed the seed should be planted because the Yankees' incumbent manager would like to step down. He's either doing Boone a favor or stabbing him in the back.

Or Jon Heyman went rogue. That's a possibilty, too.

Yankees hiring Alex Cora would flip what's left of Red Sox rivalry on its head

Outside of that spectacular 2018 season (which, again ... replay room), Cora hasn't finished a campaign with the same standard of excellence. His reputation precedes him. He fueled the underdog, undermanned Red Sox all the way to Game 6 of the ALCS in 2021, but most other seasons have ended in turmoil and a power struggle. That's another reason this sounds so unbelievable - could you imagine Cora butting heads with Brian Cashman?

Presumably, what this leak actually means is that the Yankees could convince him to take the reins if they gave him everything he ever wanted in Boston, including the permission to pull all the strings. That will never happen - but, again, that's a reason to get out of bed and take a phone call if you're trying to retire.

The opportunity for vengeance is there if Cora is open to negotiations, and Boone's contract is up at the end of 2027, when Cora would seemingly be happier to return. Red Sox fans would certainly melt if this went down, but ... it seems highly unlikely without the Yankees' organization changing its ways and without Boone giving the go-ahead. Otherwise, this sounds like a betrayal.

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