Red Sox Predicted To Make This Decision On Alex Cora's Job Status

One win is good, but not enough to completely shift the vibe around the Boston Red Sox.

Before Friday night's 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves, the Red Sox had lost five straight, falling to a season-worst four games under .500. But it wasn't just that they were losing--every game felt like a gut punch, with the Red Sox shooting themselves in the foot as often as opponents inflicted damage.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has worn plenty of the criticism for this cold stretch. There have been questionable in-game decisions, to be sure, but a lot of the discourse has been around silly mistakes Boston players have made, like getting thrown out on the basepaths or failing to execute defensive fundamentals.

Even though he's in year one of a three-year, $21.75 million extension, there have been pessimists in the Boston sports circle who have suggested Cora could be fired this year, perhaps even that he should. One baseball analyst, however, doesn't see things that way.

During a recent episode of the "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz predicted that Cora's job was safe until at least the 2026 season.

"Alex Cora is going nowhere at least this season," Mintz said. "If I had to rank baseball operations juice amongst MLB managers he would be toward the top of that list.

"Yeah, he just signed a new contract. The organization believes in him, and frankly, I think he has done a fair, good enough job keeping this thing from going completely off the rails, because it is not his fault."

Cora not only has a lot of sway with the front office and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, but with the ownership group as well. That he was in the room with principal owner John Henry and CEO Sam Kennedy during the Rafael Devers meeting in Kansas City only further illustrates that point.

Of course, none of this is to say that Cora doesn't need to do a better job getting results from his team in some capacity. But he shouldn't be looking over his shoulder every day wondering if his replacement is coming.