Why Alex Cora Believes 2024 Will Be Red Sox’s ‘Last Struggle’

The Boston Red Sox fell deeper into an unencouraging pattern for the third straight year by missing out on postseason play.

Boston's now missed this playoffs in five of the last six seasons and needs to find a way to break out of the funk of average-to-below average season performances. There's been plenty of youth development in over the last two seasons. The process is right for the Red Sox, but wins and playoff berths are yet to arrive.

"This year was a great learning experience, not only for the players but for the coaching staff," Cora told NESN's Tom Caron on Friday. "We needed to be patient early on for them to evolve as big-leaguers to learn everything that comes with it. They're still learning. We had some experience the last few years. ... We know that some of these kids are gonna impact the organization on the field. Others are going to impact in the offseason, some way somehow, to make us better. We're in a good place."

With a monumental offseason and crucial decisions to make about the roster, that urgency brought a new sense of confidence to Cora regarding the Red Sox future.

"I truly believe this will probably be the last time we struggle," Cora added. "I do believe we're going to turn the corner in the offseason. We're gonna be ready to spring training. We're going to have a very talented group next year."

The Red Sox enter the final series of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. If they win the series, they'll finish with a winning record for the first time since 2021.