Red Sox Manager States The Obvious, Accuses ESPN Of Making Stuff Up About MLB Trade Rumors

With July 31 marking the MLB trade deadline, there are trade rumors galore out there involving all 30 teams around the league. It goes without saying that not every rumor has any legitimacy to it, and for Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, he is pinning some of that blame on ESPN in particular.

Cora isn't just singling out the four-letter network at random; he has the inside track about the inner workings given that he used to work for the company.

The 49-year-old took his swing at ESPN while speaking with reporters on Sunday, accusing the network of making "sh-t up" when it comes to trades and rumors, and sending the message that his players don't need to pay attention to everything they may be hearing.

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

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

Cora alleging that ESPN makes up trade rumors is about as obvious as calling water wet, but his claim that he has specific stories from his time at the network that he's telling his players behind closed doors is interesting.

While the network obviously left a bad taste in his mouth when it comes to trade deadline time, he's fully aware that spinning the rumor mill and coming up with scenarios is what fans want to hear and read about. The prospect of your favorite team being buyers or sellers and seeing how aggressive or timid they may be at the deadline is what keeps fans so engaged, and that's true for every professional sports league.

As for the Red Sox, they currently occupy a Wild Card spot in the American League, so the franchise could look to make a splash or two before time is up.