Alex Cora has ‘greedy’ message for Red Sox owners during Yankees dig

Red Sox manager Alex Cora calls for next-level assistance after leading Boston into a hot steak.

During his address to the media before Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays, Cora – whose team has won eight of its last ten games – urged Boston’s leadership to be proactive and improve the team before the deadline of the July 30 MLB trades.

“We’ll see what happens in a month, a month and a half. We’ve just got to keep playing better baseball,” Cora said, according to CBS Boston. “Let’s be greedy.”

Cora then noted that several teams above the Red Sox in the standings are not currently playing well and that Boston should not limit its ambitions.

“There are teams ahead of us that are not playing good baseball. I know one of them will probably only last five days, but there are others,” Cora said, appearing to refer to the slips of the Yankees and Orioles, who had lost five games in a row before to win on Wednesday. “Let’s not settle for the third Wild Card. Let’s go higher and see where the season takes us.

Boston returns to the race after a strong surge.

The Red Sox were 33-33 on June 10, but have since improved to 10-4.

They are currently third in the AL East at 43-37 and tied for the third AL wild card spot.

Earlier this month, Boston won two of three games in its series against the Phillies (53-27) and the Yankees (52-30).

Boston’s lineup has benefited from red-hot Jarren Duran, who has a .394 OBP over the last seven games and had the go-ahead home run Monday against the Blue Jays.

Pitchers Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford also had strong performances.

Part of Cora’s advocacy could come from the lack of movement seen at last year’s deadline.

The organization added utility infielder Luis Urias in August, although he failed to make an impact down the stretch.

Boston ultimately bottomed out in the AL East and finished the year at 78-84.

New baseball general manager Craig Breslow will have to determine whether his club is a legitimate threat that should be bolstered with assets — as Cora believes — or whether this latest surge is a mirage.

With closer Kenley Jansen, power outfielder Tyler O’Neill and star hitter Rob Refsnyder set to hit the open market in late 2024, Breslow could theoretically buy and sell.

If Boston aims to improve, it could try to add a high-end starter next to Houck.

The Red Sox rank eighth in earned run average per starter, but could use additional players, like Jack Flaherty of the Tigers or Garrett Crochet of the White Sox, if they reach the postseason.