Amid the fallout of the Boston Red Sox’s surprising firing of Alex Cora, there were mixed messages over how the former manager felt about the club. Cora texted reporters saying he was “happy” after the firing and shared a few images on social media that raised eyebrows.

Turns out, all of that may have been completely earnest. A few days after his firing, Cora reportedly emailed the entire Red Sox organization and thanked employees for everything, per MassLive.com

In the email, which was acquired by MassLive.com, Cora said he respected the Red Sox’s decision, and was disappointed he “didn’t finish the job.”

His full email read:

Cora’s dismissal came as a massive shock around the baseball world. Though the Red Sox were off to a tough start — and sat at 10-17 through 27 games — Cora was considered among the most respected managers in the game.

That much was apparent Tuesday, when reports emerged suggesting the Philadelphia Phillies contacted Cora about managing the team following the firing of Rob Thomson. Cora turned down that job, saying he wanted to spend some time with his family.

Given Cora’s reputation, he should get a fair amount of looks from teams looking to make similar changes during the 2025 season. And if Cora opts to wait until the offseason to resume his career, he’ll likely be among the top candidates available, if not the No. 1 option.