The Boston Red Sox are in talks with manager Alex Cora about a lucrative, long-term contract extension, ESPN reported Wednesday.

The deal reportedly would be in the range of three years for $21.75 million, which would mark the second-highest salary for an major league skipper behind Craig Counsell's five-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

The Red Sox (54-47) took a 20-7 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday in Denver. The result leaves Boston six games out of first place in the American League East and one game out of a wild-card spot.

Cora, 48, has compiled a record of 494-417 with Boston. The Red Sox won the World Series in his first season in 2018, but he was fired before the 2020 season amid the fallout from the Houston Astros' 2017 sign-stealing scandal. He returned to the Boston bench in 2021.

Cora's current contract is set to expire after this season.

--Field Level Media