Red Sox manager Alex Cora claims ESPN 'made s--- up' about MLB trade rumors during his time at network

With less than one week left before the MLB trade deadline passes, teams are revving up the phones, while players await their fates for the remainder of the 2025 season and beyond. 

Players will tell you they try to keep the outside noise just that – outside. But it's hard not to see it coming up on social media feeds, sports talk shows, and more avenues of acquiring news. 

However, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora doesn't want his players to believe everything they hear and read. He singled out one outlet in particular – the one he used to work for. 

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"I can tell them stories about ESPN in the green room, how people made s--- up – you know, trades," Cora said to reporters on Sunday. "And I can tell them that don’t believe everything that is said, you know?"

Cora is aware the trade deadline rumors are what fans want to see, as teams try to make their squads better or look ahead to the future by dealing away top talent for future assets. 

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"You get into any social platform, and if you’re looking for baseball, then your feed is going to be full of baseball stories, right?" Cora continued. "And there’s a lot of people that are very responsible with their trades, rumors and their contacts. Others, they’re not. So just block it."

A source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that ESPN stands by its reporting, though it wasn't clear what Cora, who departed the company nearly 10 years ago to join the Houston Astros' coaching staff, was referring to.

"I got stories, man. I don’t wanna bury people," Cora said when a reporter asked who at ESPN he was referring to. 

Cora understands how tough the trade deadline can be from a player perspective considering his 14 seasons as one in MLB. 

The Red Sox are one of those teams with a rabid fan base always watching to see what they're going to do this time of year. It's also worth noting that one of the top trade names going around is Jarren Duran, the team's All-Star outfielder who could be on the move before 6 p.m. on Thursday. 

Boston, though, currently sits in a good playoff position out of a tough AL East division at 57-50. They own the second Wild Card slot in the American League, just behind their division-rival New York Yankees.

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