Roenicke fired by Red Sox

ATLANTA (AP) — Ron Roenicke was told Sunday he will not return as manager of the Boston Red Sox, ending a one-year, shotgun stopgap on the final day of a pandemic-shortened season that resulted in a last-place finish in the AL East.

Hired on the eve of spring training after Alex Cora was implicated in Houston's sign stealing scandal, Roenicke took over a roster that would soon shed 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price. Ace Chris Sale never threw a pitch for the team this year.

With the Red Sox 23-36 entering their final game, the team announced its decision..

“Throughout this difficult season, Ron’s consistency and professionalism kept the environment in our clubhouse productive and gave all of our players room to grow and develop,” Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said in a statement. “While we believe that, moving forward, we will benefit from new leadership and new energy, that does not diminish how strongly we feel about Ron. He is a man of the highest character who cares about our players and the Red Sox organization. As bench coach, he helped this team win a world championship. As manager, he showed poise and leadership in navigating an extremely challenging year.”

By dumping salary on the Dodgers, the Red Sox were able to get under baseball’s luxury tax threshold -- a boon for whomever replaces Roenicke.

Sure to get attention as a possible successor: Cora, who led the Red Sox to a World Series championship in 2018, his only season as manager. The team split with him after he was identified as the ringleader in the Houston sign-stealing scheme during his time as an Astros coach; Cora’s one-year suspension for that scandal ends after the World Series.

With Cora gone -- and spring training already started -- the Red...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Roenicke-fired-by-Red-Sox-15601126.php