Alex Cora is out as the manager of the Boston Red Sox. Cora's dismissal came Tuesday, before Major League Baseball even handed down a suspension for his involvement in sign-stealing scandals with both the Red Sox and the Houston Astros, with whom he was previously the bench coach. MLB's investigation into the Red Sox's sign-stealing continues -- Cora's tenure in Boston does not.

Cora's stint with the Red Sox lasted only two seasons. He guided Boston to a World Series victory in 2018, then oversaw a messy and disappointing 2019 that culminated with Dave Dombrowski's ousting in the front office. The Red Sox have since replaced Dombrowski with Chaim Bloom, who was formerly a member of the Tampa Bay Rays front office.

Because we are nothing if not speculative monsters, we've put together a list of candidates for the Red Sox's managerial opening. Below you'll find five names who would make varying degrees of sense for Bloom to consider during his upcoming manager search. We're not saying Bloom and the Red Sox will have interest in these folks, just that they make some sense.

1. Ron Roenicke, Red Sox bench coach

We'll start with Roenicke, who served as Cora's bench coach. He has ample managerial experience from his time running the Milwaukee Brewers, but he's probably not going to get the Boston job. It just makes more sense for Bloom to start fresh with his own manager instead.

2. Matt Quatraro, Rays bench coach

The top name on everyone's list is going to be Quatraro, the Rays bench coach, and someone Bloom is undoubtedly used to dealing with. Those kinds of obvious connections seem to boast a lower hit rate than you'd think, but there are exceptions, such as Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler in San Francisco. Maybe Quatraro proves to be another in the coming months.

3. Andy Green, Cubs bench coach

Green isn't far removed from being fired by the San Diego Padres after three-plus disappointing seasons. He'll get another chance at managing down the road -- they almost always do -- and will probably do better in his second attempt. He's currently the Chicago Cubs' bench coach.

4. Hensley Meulens, Mets bench coach

Another bench coach, Meulens joined the New York Mets this winter after a lengthy stay out west with the Giants. Meulens nearly landed the New York Yankees job over Aaron Boone, and it seems like a matter of time before he gets his own team. Things to know about Meulens: his nickname is "Bam Bam" and he speaks five languages. 

5. Tim Bogar, Nationals first base coach

We'll end with Bogar, who just won a World Series championship with the Washington Nationals and has filled almost every role there is to fill, including a stint as the interim manager of the Texas Rangers. Bogar is likely familiar to Bloom from their shared time with the Rays, but that was a while ago, making this different from the Quatraro situation. Bogar, too, seems to be a perpetual managerial candidate, so his time has to be coming.