Ron Roenicke Won't Return as Red Sox Manager for 2021 Season

The Boston Red Sox are moving on from manager Ron Roenicke following the conclusion of the 2020 MLB season.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom issued a statement confirming the decision:

"Throughout this difficult season, Ron's consistency and professionalism kept the environment in our clubhouse productive and gave all of our players room to grow and develop. While we believe that, moving forward, we will benefit from new leadership and new energy, that does not diminish how strongly we feel about Ron. He is a man of the highest character who cares about our players and the Red Sox organization. As bench coach, he helped this team win a world championship. As manager, he showed poise and leadership in navigating an extremely challenging year. We are grateful for all of his contributions in our uniform."

Boston heads into its final game with the worst record (23-36) in the American League East.

The announcement doesn't come as a big surprise since this was always shaping up to be a transitional year for the Red Sox. They traded Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers after ownership signaled a desire to trim payroll.

In a since-deleted tweet, the Sox's official account appeared to celebrate the day the franchise reset its luxury tax penalties:

Roenicke appeared to be more of a stopgap manager as well. Serving as Boston's bench coach in 2018 and 2019, he took the top job in February, one month after the Sox fired Alex Cora as a result of his involvement in two sign-stealing scandals.

Ownership and the front office weren't afforded much time to launch a full-scale search for a new manager. Rather than rushing into a decision that would have long-term ramifications, promoting Roenicke represented a short-term solution.

Now, the Red Sox will have a full offseason to evaluate all of their options. However, some are already wondering whether they'll turn to a familiar face:

MLB suspended Cora through the entire 2020 season, playoffs included. That punishment was tied to his role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scheme. When it came to the Red Sox, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said video replay system operator J.T. Watkins was the mastermind.

"While I will not impose additional discipline on Cora as a result of the conduct engaged in by Watkins (because I do not find that he was aware of it), I do note that Cora did not effectively communicate to Red Sox players the sign-stealing rules that were in place for the 2018 season," Manfred wrote.

That would presumably provide the Red Sox with a level of cover to welcome Cora back despite the circumstances surrounding his departure.