The Boston Red Sox got one of their best moves done before the 2024 Major League Baseball season even came to an end.

Boston manager Alex Cora was working in 2024 with an expiring contract. He was set to hit managerial free agency this winter with the hope of landing a massive deal like Craig Counsell got last season when he jumped ship from the Milwaukee Brewers to land with the Chicago Cubs.

Counsell got a historic five-year deal worth $40 million. Cora was going to enter the free agent market as the best managerial candidate available and a high price tag in mind. It didn’t seem like there was any chance that a deal would get done in season, and it actually seemed like Cora would be on his way out of town after the season ended.

Things changed quickly, and Cora ended up signing a three-year extension in July reportedly worth roughly $21.75.

Boston is lucky to have Cora. He is one of the best managers in baseball, and now that it has been reported that the Red Sox are more willing to spend this offseason, maybe Boston could make a run in 2025.

It’s great that Cora is back in Boston, but a surprising team could’ve been after him if he didn’t re-sign. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported that the 95-win Philadelphia Phillies possibly could’ve been a suitor this winter had the Red Sox not struck a new deal.

“If there’s a wild card in all of this, it’s the Phillies, who coming off a second straight disappointing postseason run, might have thought long and hard about turning Rob Thomson into this year’s David Ross and Cora into this year’s Counsell,” Cotillo said. “In fact, rival executives believe Philadelphia, all along, was the greatest outside threat to land Cora considering Dave Dombrowski’s affinity for him and the mutual admiration between the two men forged during their two-year partnership in Boston.

“Cora has made his affinity for Dombrowski and his aggressive style well-known in the years since Dombrowski was fired in Boston. In that vein, it’s almost certain that if Philadelphia called, Cora would have listened. That, of course, won’t transpire, but it’s plausible that the Phillies would have tried for Cora instead of extending Thomson (through 2026) had Cora been available.”

We certainly are lucky that the Red Sox and Cora went to the negotiating table during the season.