On the heels of what seemed like an improbable run to the postseason back in late April, the Boston Red Sox have secured their near-term future at manager and in the front office.
Just hours before beginning the final homestand of the regular season, the Red Sox announced they had removed the interim title from manager Chad Tracy and given him a three-year deal that will run through the 2029 season. There is also a club option for the 2030 season included.
Additionally, the club’s chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, had his contract options for 2029 and 2030 enacted as well. Tracy officially becomes the 49th manager in Red Sox history.
Red Sox were right to give Chad Tracy the manager title
Tracy has been the calming force inside what was a Red Sox hurricane to begin the season. On April 25, with Boston sporting a 10-17 record, manager Alex Cora and five members of the coaching staff were relieved of their duties. Tracy, who was at the time the manager at Triple-A Worcester, was given the reins and the interim manager title.
Since then, the Red Sox have gone 74-55, the second-best record in the American League. Included in that was a 15-game winning streak and a 27-3 run, the best 30-game stretch in franchise history.
Boston will likely enter the postseason as the second-seeded wild-card team, with a likely matchup against the rival New York Yankees awaiting in the first round.
Taking the interim tag off Tracy before the team’s final regular-season games was good timing by the Red Sox. Over those six games, Boston will have plenty of say in the postseason standings in both the AL and the National League as well.
Boston opens a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, with the Guardians holding a 1.0-game lead over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings. This weekend, the Chicago Cubs visit Fenway Park, looking to secure their spot in the NL wild-card chase.
Both of those series matter, not only in terms of the Red Sox potentially playing spoiler for one or both teams, but also with Boston needing to enter the wild-card round with momentum. The Red Sox are just 4-6 in their last 10 games, so hitting their stride during this homestand is paramount.
Having no questions about Tracy’s future likely gives the Red Sox a bit of psychological freedom heading into the postseason. They now don’t have to worry about the results determining if Tracy is back in 2027 or not. They can simply focus on the task at hand, as can Tracy.
Boston made the right move on Tuesday morning. Now, Red Sox fans can only hope the team makes the right moves on the field the rest of the way.