Amid the shocking firing of manager Alex Cora, the Boston Red Sox also temporarily severed ties with game planning coordinator and franchise legend Jason Varitek.
The former Sox captain served in various positions within the organization after his retirement in 2011 but became a uniformed assistant coach under Cora in 2020. When Cora was dismissed along with five other staff members, the team announced that Varitek was “reassigned to a new role within the organization.”
While the Red Sox clearly did so in an attempt to preserve the relationship, Varitek did not seem to receive this news as much different from a firing. He joined Cora and the five other fired coaches after they were let go for a now infamous photo, sporting a smile and a thumbs down as they stood arm-in-arm in front of the plane that took them back to Boston.
Loyal to the rest of the staff, it appeared highly unlikely that Varitek would rejoin the club in any role before the end of the season. At the end-of-year press conference, the question of Varitek’s standing within the organization was revisited with CEO Sam Kennedy.
Kennedy’s update, though, seemed like more of the same deflecting to maintain goodwill with fans while admitting that he was not with the team.
“We’ve connected with each other, but I’ve got no update on that,” Kennedy said. “But [we] look forward to continuing dialogue as we move forward.”
It appears the two sides are stuck in the same place they were since Cora’s firing. Varitek, on top of feeling disrespected by ownership and wanting to stick by the former manager, does not want to accept a meaningless title within the front office to appease the public. Kennedy and Craig Breslow, however, do not seem intent on hiring Varitek back on in a true coaching capacity, having moved in a different direction with a more analytically driven staff.
In 2012, Varitek’s first role with the team was as “special assistant to the general manager” under then-GM Ben Cherington. But the 15-year MLB vet clearly believes he has more to give to the game than just that, and it would not come as a surprise if he pursues other coaching opportunities outside of Boston if the Red Sox do not offer him one.
Cora, who took the rest of 2026 off despite strong pursuit from other teams immediately after his firing, is not expected to return as a manager in 2027. This news could delay any decision on Varitek’s future another season.
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