Red Sox remove interim tag, name Chad Tracy the franchise’s 49th manager after historic turnaround

BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox are heading to the postseason following a remarkable run over the second half of the season and on Tuesday they rewarded the two chief architects of that turnaround.

Boston removed the interim tag and named Chad Tracy the 49th manager in team history, signing him to a three-year contract that will run through the 2029 season, with a club option for 2030. The Red Sox also announced that it has exercised the 2029 and 2030 options on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

The elevation of the 41-year-old Tracy comes after the Red Sox secured a wild-card spot in the playoffs on Sunday. Tracy took over in April after former manager Alex Cora was fired following a 10-17 start to the season.

“I think there was pretty much an understanding when I first got here that we’ve a lot of work to do, let’s focus on that. Let’s worry about the rest of the stuff later as it goes along,” said Tracy, seated with Breslow and Red Sox president Sam Kennedy during a 30-minute news conference at Fenway Park before the club opened a three-game series against Cleveland.

“I am very happy, though, that it is done and in the course of three days we’ve clinched a playoff spot and now all the focus can be on what we can try to do in October,” Tracy said.

Tracy has guided the Red Sox to a 74-55 record, which included a 15-game win streak that tied the franchise record set in 1946. Boston’s 27-3 (.900) record from July 3 through Aug. 7 was the best 30-game span in franchise history.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that was 32-46 and 15 1/2 games back in the AL East race on June 24.

“Chad, you came into an incredibly difficult situation in April and provided stability and leadership when this organization needed it most,” said Kennedy, who was seated next to Breslow. “We had conversations with Craig over the summer and got that extension done.”

Breslow said he announced Tracy’s new deal during a team meeting in the clubhouse about 15 minutes before the news conference.

“That was cool. I choked up a little bit,” Tracy said, smiling.

Breslow, 46, was hired in October 2023. A 2013 World Series champion with Boston, he is only the fourth former Red Sox player to lead the club’s baseball operations efforts.

In his three seasons in the role, the Red Sox have gone 254-226 (.529), the third-best record in the AL.

Tracy served as the manager of the Red Sox’s Triple-A team in Worcester since 2022, leading the WooSox to a winning record in each of his four full seasons as manager. That came after seven previous years managing in the Los Angeles Angels minor league system.

He’s the son of former big-league manager Jim Tracy, who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers (2001-05), Pittsburgh (2006-07) and Colorado (2009-12).

“I was along for the ride on my dad’s journey,” Chad Tracy said, dressed in a light blue sport jacket that he joked he couldn’t wait to “ditch” when the news conference was over.

“I stayed up late to talk to him to learn the game,” he said. “I was fascinated by it. I really was.”

Jim Tracy was named interim manager of the Rockies in May 2009, led them to a 74-42 turnaround and won NL manager of the year. It’s a similar run to his son’s.

A third-round pick by the Texas Rangers in the third round of the 2006 draft out of Pepperdine University, Chad Tracy also played eight professional seasons (2006-13) in the Rangers, Rockies and Kansas City Royals organizations.

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“Twenty-two years to be exact, playing and coaching,” Chad Tracy said of his journey. “That’s a long time.”

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AP Freelancer Ken Powtak contributed to this story.

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