Cora Agrees in Principle, Club Declines Foulke's Option

On this night of utter speculation, let's speculate some more. It's being reported that Alex Cora has confirmed agreeing to a 2 year deal with the Sox, though any details beyond that have yet to be revealed. What does it mean for the bench? Offensively, not much, as Cora is pretty poor with the stick. He is, however, an asset defensively, and as long as he doesn't get too many ABs, his attitude and presence will be welcomed.

In this same vein, the Sox declined their part of the $7.5 million mutual option on Keith Foulke's contract today. Foulke has the ability to exercise his portion, worth $3.75 million, or decline and receive a $1.5 million buyout. If I had to guess, Foulke will probably exercise his option (that is, if his agent is doing his job), as he's not likely to land anything better outside of Boston. The front office's decision was certainly a smart one, considering his injury history over the last 2 seasons. Were he to come back, it wouldn't be the worst thing ever, as they'd save close to $4 million and have a potential ace reliever in the cards.