You’re right and they won their game today…. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/04/red-sox-fire-manager-alex-cora-announce-coaching-changes.html
Hot take maybe. I don't think Hader really got misused last year. His total innings & appearances are right in line with the top 10-15 closers. And maybe even on the lower end of innings pitched relative to games finished.. Only like 3 AL closers look exclusively "1 inning only / save opportunities only" & nothing more. All the others pitch in additional non-save opportunities with the occasional multi inning game Now 2024 though, yes THAT was the bad overuse lol . If it's somehow a residual effect of 2024 going in 2025, maybe that's valid. But 2025 looks like adjusted proper usage (possibly from that agent pressure)
Except you argue it both ways: You want him gone but also don't they should bother and think they should just keep him until the end of the season. YOU wanted the Astros to try to win despite him - and then later you switch to "no, that's just what I think the Astros will do". And argue that its just Dana that's not going to do it quick enough: But again, if you think firing a manager midseason doesn't help a team, then why would it be too late (or early) for Dana to do so? You repeatedly do that - making arguments one way for what the Astros should do and then change to "that's just what I think the Astros will do" when you get stuck.
Cora had a big contract and had won a WS and proven he was reasonably capable. Espada should be so much easier to let go.
If they are going to do it, Sunday night / Monday seems like the opportunity. End of a homestand, day off, etc. After that, they play 9 games in a row and 6 are on the road, which seems like an awkward time to do firings, though I guess Boston just did that.
That 4-16 in the last 20 games if my math is correct and 2 of those wins are against the Rockies at home
The fact Boston fired Cora and Co should grease the skids for Crane on Espada. No pressure being the first now.
I'm astounded that there is any dispute on this-- Brown, Espada, and Miller need to go NOW. If Crane doesn't can them, he is telling the team that it doesn't really matter if they do their job well-- because he would be putting up with 3 guys that have not done the job well, and in fact have done a terrible job. Sometimes it is best to 'do the right thing' even if the back-up plan is not fully set up yet. Brown has completely failed, Espada has never done one thing to help the team win, and Miller has obviously 'lost' the pitching staff - since he obviously is not coaching them, or encouraging them, to issue walks right and left. Honestly, I don't see any reason at all to stick with a group of failures -- we just prolong the agony.
You're not trying to salvage this season, but you sure as hell shouldn't hang on to this loser, it's just not a good look.
100% Brown needs to go more than Espada at this point, but obviously they would go at the same time. Brown "settled" for Espada, it was the laziest baseball manager search and hire in MLB history. A team he inherited that was a win away from winning back to back World Series (yes, they would have gone on to beat Arizona). Just think about that. Now he must pay the ultimate cost of doing such an inept job.
I wasn't even aware he had Brown throw 102 pitches, Jesus Christ. I do remember complaining when he had Junior pitching 6 shutout innings and then decided to push it to a 7th inning and ended up going past 100 pitches (with THAT injury history), I couldn't believe it. What an absolute stooge.
Who takes over on an interim basis after Joe is let go tomorrow? Is it pretty automatic that Omar Lopez takes over?
