BALTIMORE -- Amid the chaos of a sudden managerial change and coaching shakeup came the calm, reassuring voice and familiar face of Chad Tracy.
In Tracy, the Red Sox might have found the perfect interim manager to replace Alex Cora, whose 1,161-game run ended in a surprise Saturday night meeting at the team hotel with owner John Henry, president/CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
While Cora and six members of his coaching staff were in the process of departing from Baltimore on Saturday night, Tracy was on his way south from Triple-A Worcester, the team he has managed since 2022.
During those four-plus seasons, Tracy managed the likes of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran. In Minor League rehab assignments, he spent time with Trevor Story and Garrett Whitlock. Tracy had also been a fixture at Major League Spring Training the last five years.
“Chad has been in the organization for a while,” said Breslow. “He's managed at the highest level of our Minor League system and he's familiar with and has meaningful relationships with a majority of our roster, given the younger players that we do have. He's demonstrated an ability to get the most out of that group.”
In an imperfect situation, Tracy represented the perfect choice.
“I think when you’re familiar with somebody during a time like this [it helps], and someone like Trace steps in, he's tremendous at what he does,” said Anthony. “And I think there's a reason that everyone who goes through Triple-A and is in Worcester with him loves him, and we know he's gonna have our back and do everything he can during this kind of tough time. We didn't expect it, but now you kind of just adapt and overcome it, and Trace is gonna be great.”
Will Tracy manage the Red Sox for at least the rest of ‘26?
“We believe that Chad is the right guy to handle this transition and we're going to put all of our effort into supporting him to do that,” Breslow said. “And we'll kind of figure out where that leads us.”
At 40 years old, Tracy represents the youth needed for a young team, but he also has years of baseball wisdom that comes from someone who is the son of a former Major League manager.
Yes, Chad Tracy is Jim’s son. Jim managed in the Major Leagues for 11 seasons, starting out with the Dodgers in 2001 (Cora was a player on his roster), and also having stints with the Pirates ('06-07) and Rockies ('09-12).
In fact, Jim made it to Camden Yards on Sunday to see his son manage his first Major League game. Though Chad needs a bench coach, he joked that his father won’t be filling that vacancy.
“I've leaned on him my whole life,” Chad Tracy said. “And my mom. She's the steadying force. And my dad, my whole life, since he was doing this, we've talked about situations, and I was 13 years old and he started doing this. We would talk baseball after a game and what he was going through, and I'm sure that won't change, and he'll be right there to support me if I need him.”
Saturday was a crazy day for Tracy. While he was managing the WooSox to a 9-2 victory, he was called out of the dugout midgame and quickly found out his world was changing. Then he had to pack his belongings, get on a plane and get ready to manage his first game for Boston.
All Tracy’s nerves went away when he addressed the team.
“Knowing I was going to address the players, that felt like the easy part, because I've intimately known them so well already,” Tracy said. “To be honest with you, when I started seeing the players before the bus left [for the ballpark], each player I saw, it just started to calm me more.
“I had great conversations with Whit and Trev and guys that are leaders on our team. The more conversations I had with them, the more it calmed me. So I know we're getting there. It's starting to slow down.”
What is Tracy’s style as a manager?
“Really, to me, it's predicated on who's on your team. If you’ve got a style and your players don't fit that style, that can be foolish,” Tracy said. “So I think it's about adapting to your team. What do you have? What are they capable of doing?
“We have athletes, we have speed. So I look at that like, well, we gotta get people on base and let's be aggressive and let's move. That's what worked last year when it was going, right? You get Rafaela and Jarren and these guys, Roman, get these guys on base, and we start creating havoc. So I think it always is about, what is on your team? And how do you use the tools and skill set of your team the best way to help you win a game?”