Alex Cora Reveals Aaron Boone’s Reaction To Alex Bregman Joining Red Sox

The Red Sox needed to bolster their roster over the offseason if they truly wanted to compete for the American League East crown in 2025.

Boston certainly did so, and it closed its offseason with an exclamation point.

After trading for Garrett Crochet earlier in the winter, the Red Sox made another splash move by signing Alex Bregman. Bregman reportedly had several suitors throughout his time on the open market, but he clearly saw a promising opportunity in Boston.

The Red Sox rostering the star infielder figures to only make it more difficult for the Yankees to retain their AL East crown this season. That’s why New York manager Aaron Boone understandably wasn’t thrilled to see Bregman land in Boston.

“The front office and ownership, we talked a little bit right before the end of the season,” Alex Cora said Tuesday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “We needed to execute, we needed to be better. We bring (Aroldis) Chapman, (Justin) Wilson, then Garrett and Walker (Buehler), and at the end, we got Alex.

“I think the addition of Alex at the end kind of gave us that ‘mmmph.’ I was talking to Aaron Boone yesterday, and he wasn’t too happy that Alex ended up signing with us. Honestly, I thought Alex was gonna end up somewhere else, and I got the big news late on Wednesday, and here we are. We’ve got a good baseball team.”

Boone specifically mentioned Bregman on Monday when he referred to the improved Red Sox as a “formidable team.” The veteran skipper also admitted it’s “really good for the game” when both Boston and New York are playing at a high level.

The longtime rivals will meet for their first regular-season series in early June when Cora’s club travels to the Bronx for a three-game weekend set.