Despite tough playoff exit the Red Sox's future remains bright
The 2025 campaign for the Boston Red Sox came to a disappointing end in the AL Wild Card round. After winning Game One, the offense was lifeless, and the Yankees capitalized on every mistake. While it is not the finish many envisioned, the future remains bright after the Red Sox ended their postseason drought.
One of the reasons for optimism is a starting rotation full of potential. In Garrett Crochet’s first season in a Red Sox uniform, he was the ace this organization has been missing for years. He set career highs in wins with 18 and strikeouts with 255. It was just the start of what should be a special run.
Next year, he will again be joined by Bryan Bello, who took a step forward. He posted a career low 3.55 ERA during the 2025 campaign and made at least 28 starts for the second time in his career. Following Bello should be Connelly Early, who, in a small sample size, dazzled with his stuff. That should lead to an extended run in the majors next year with nothing left to prove in the minors.
While the rotation should again be a strength, the bullpen will also have a few elite arms. That includes Garrett Whitlock, Aroldis Chapman, and potentially Payton Tolle if he does not end up in the rotation. That is not a bad trio to start with, and the Red Sox should feel confident about their chances with a lead in the eighth or the ninth.
Although the offense needs some work, there are already some elite bats in place. In his first stint in the majors, Roman Anthony hit .292 in 71 games. The 21-year-old is one of the most exciting players in the game and gives the Red Sox a dynamic bat at the top of the order. He will be joined by Carlos Narvaez, who hit 15 home runs as a rookie, and Ceddanne Rafaela, who, defensively, is one of the best outfielders in baseball.
Even with plenty of holes to fill the Red Sox will also welcome back a plethora of players who finished the year injured. That Includes Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Marcelo Mayer, and Triston Casas later in the year.
In the minors, the Red Sox will have a few exciting prospects in the wings. That group features Luis Perales, Mikey Romero, Jhostynxon Garcia, and David Sandlin. The Organization’s top prospect, Franklin Arias, is inching closer to his MLB debut after finishing the year in Double-A, as the 2025 campaign showed you never know when that depth will be needed.
Over the next few months, the biggest storylines will be what the future holds for Alex Bregman and Trevor Story. They both have opt-outs in their contracts and are coming off fairly productive years. What they decide will largely shape how this offseason goes. The Red Sox also have to choose what to do with the logjam in the outfield, which could help them improve their biggest holes.
With the start of free agency still months away, the Red Sox have a good talent base to start with. They still need to improve the offense and add to the rotation to become a serious World Series contender. However, they have a lot of returning pieces that provide plenty of reasons for excitement.