Red Sox Insider Reveals Strange New Clubhouse Vibe Without Alex Cora originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox are in uncharted territory entering May. Not only did they set a team record for most losses before May 1, but they're also without Alex Cora and many of his assistant coaches, most of whom had been with the club for years.
According to Red Sox insider Pete Abraham, there's a strange vibe around the clubhouse these days as the team adjusts to life without Cora and his assistants.
"It's strangely quiet, I would say," Abraham recently told NESN. "There's a lot of guys talking to each other, I think trying to figure out what's going on."
Abraham added that there's a noticeable divide between veterans who have experienced managerial firings before and younger players who haven't.
Some veterans like Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras just got here a few months ago and barely played for Cora, so they hadn't formed deep relationships with him yet.
Meanwhile, other Red Sox players like Jarren Duran, Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela have only ever played for Cora and some of his assistants at the big league level.
"Those guys are having a lot of trouble processing what's happened, because they've never been through this before," Abraham added. "Those guys are kind of walking around with thousand-yard stares trying to figure out what's going on."
Abraham's description supports Ken Rosenthal's belief that the firings were a "major disruption" for Boston. It also illustrates why in-season firings can be tricky and aren't ideal for players.
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