Cora hints on Twitter that he's done managing

Alex Cora lost his job managing the Boston Red Sox in January after his links to the Houston Astros' sign-stealing were uncovered, and he was later suspended for one year from Major League Baseball. But that hasn't stopped rumors from occasionally swirling about a potential return to managing Boston once his ban ends.

Yet even if the Red Sox - or another team - eventually want him back, Cora might be ready for a new adventure. During a Twitter exchange with a fan Friday, the 44-year-old hinted that he might be done with managing altogether.

Cora led the Red Sox to 192 wins over his two seasons with the club, as well as the 2018 World Series championship. Under his watch, the 2018 Red Sox were alleged to have illegally stolen signs, although MLB's investigation found that Cora himself was unaware of what was happening.

The Red Sox initially replaced him by naming Ron Roenicke interim manager, immediately fueling speculation that they might bring Cora back. Roenicke's interim tag was removed last month, though his contract expires at season's end; while the Red Sox already stated they had no plans to rehire Cora, president Sam Kennedy said he's "a big believer in second chances."

"I understand why people would ask that question (about Cora returning)," Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told WEEI's "Ordway and Fauria" last week, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. "I get that it's kind of an obvious question in the air. But I just want to return to what I said on that day, which is the reason that we parted ways with Alex was not because we were presuming any involvement or any guilt in the investigation into the Red Sox."

"We have a manager," Bloom added. "We have a really good manager who we like."