Outside The Confines: Alex Cora is back with the Red Sox

Just last week it was announced that the Detroit Tigers had signed A.J. Hinch as their new manager, bringing him back to the majors after being sidelined for a season due to his part in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. It seemed, then, like a foregone conclusion that Alex Cora would get his second chance soon enough.

Soon enough happened this past weekend, as Cora reunited with the Boston Red Sox, the team he’d been with when the punishments came down, forcing him to step away from the Sox.

With players like George Springer hitting the free agent market this offseason, we’re on the verge of finding out how friendly the market is for the players — who were unpunished in the scandal — pans out. It seems likely, given the response to the managers, that the players are unlikely to feel too much sting.

One of the biggest questions lingering from the scandal remains what will become of Carlos Beltran, who was signed to be the manager of the Mets in 2020, but because he was part of the Astros during the scandal, he and the Mets parted ways, though there was no official punishment for Beltran. Will his time to manage come next?

Do these men deserve their second chances?

• Before we jump into Cora-related topics and more, here’s Bartolo Colon once again proving he’s ready to play if called.

• The Mets are going to be a team to keep an eye on next season with all the changes they’re making. Ben Clemens takes a look at their sneaky good offense.
• Five team who should consider trading for Francisco Lindor, according to Michael Shapiro.
• Michael Baumann, Ben Lindbergh, and Zach Kram make The Ringer’s prediction for offseason player moves.
• Some sweeping changes were made to the Mets leadership since Friday, and Ken Rosenthal looks at what it means for the future of the team. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Buster Olney spotlights which free agents would be ideal selections for teams on a budget.
• We’re not mad, we’re just disappointed.

• Jay Jaffe considers the return of Alex Cora to the Red Sox to be inevitable. He’s probably right.
• Tom Verducci, likewise, looks at the choice of the Sox to bring back Cora as a “no-brainer.”
• Richard Justice looks to build a perfect bullpen out of the free agent pitchers available right now.
• There will be plenty of moving parts this season, though possibly not as spendy as previous years, so David Schoenfield suggests moves for all 30 teams.
• How did the reunion of Alex Cora and the Red Sox come about? Chad Jennings looks at how it all came together. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Joon Lee looks at whether or not the Cora/Red Sox reunion is the right move, and how it will play out.
• Carlos Pena sits down with Randy Arozarena.
• Enjoy this 1948 throwback.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.