The Boston Red Sox are back.
Gone are the days of former Chief of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom constructing rosters on cheap deals, trading away talent for prospects, or just letting players leave in free agency. This offseason has been one fans and critics have been wanting for years.
For the last three seasons, the Red Sox haven’t looked like the World Series winning team of the past. There weren’t any big free agent signings. There weren’t any big trades being made to acquire a star. There weren’t any big prospects coming up through the farm system. And most of all, there hasn’t been much winning.
The team made a lot of progress last season, but ultimately fell short of the playoffs after finishing 81-81 and five games back from a wild card spot. However, there were still many key moves and developments that gave fans hope for the upcoming season, even before free agency began.
After Bloom was fired, former Red Sox reliever Craig Breslow took his place to bring Boston back into contention. While Manager Alex Cora retained his position, former pitching coach Dave Bush was let go for another old Red Sox reliever, Andrew Bailey. Bailey improved Boston’s starting rotation value from 23rd in the league to 11th based on Fangraphs WAR.
The players on the field showed good promise as well. Starting pitcher Tanner Houck and outfielder Jarren Duran became first-time All-Stars, joining third baseman Rafael Devers as the team’s All-Star players. Rookie outfielder Wilyer Abreu won the American League Gold Glove award in right field and fellow rookie outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela showed defensive promise.
If you could find a silver lining from the Bloom era in Boston, it would be his reconstruction of the farm system. Bloom inherited the worst-ranked farm system when he was hired back in October 2019, but now the Red Sox own the best-ranked farm system heading into the 2025 season. Their minor league system currently features three of the top 15 prospects currently in baseball, being No. 2 Roman Anthony, No. 7 Kristian Campbell, and No. 12 Marcelo Mayer.
Going into the offseason, the Red Sox also had the No. 32 and No. 55 prospects, catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, but the Red Sox made a splash trade with the Chicago White Sox. Boston acquired ace pitcher Garret Crochet for a package centered around Teel and Montgomery, in order to get a true No. 1 starter in their rotation.
This move set the tone for a successful offseason in Boston as the team continued to add talent. Relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman was the first free agent signed and brings a flamethrower arm capable of throwing 105.1 mph, even at the age of 36—which is considered old for baseball. Next came starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval. Even though the 28-year-old is coming off Tommy John surgery, he brings depth and high upside after a 2.91 ERA in 2022.
At the end of December, the Red Sox signed starting pitcher Walker Buehler from the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Nothing from Buehler’s 2024 regular season stats jumped off the page, but he saved his best work for the postseason and the World Series. Besides his Game 3 start against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, Buehler didn’t allow a single earned run the rest of the postseason. Buehler even threw the final strikeout against the New York Yankees to win the World Series, a sight every Red Sox fan loves to see.
Things quieted down in January for Boston as it looked like Breslow was satisfied with the shape of his roster, but then, late on Feb. 12, he got his guy: Alex Bregman. In eight years of playing in the majors, Bregman is decorated with accolades and success. In eight seasons, he has Two All-Star selections in 2018 and 2019, a 2019 Silver Slugger, a 2024 Gold Glove, a postseason appearance in every season, and two World Series championships. Not only did the Red Sox get the strong right-handed batter they’ve been missing, but also a veteran to lead the locker room and guide the team back to the postseason.
In one offseason, the Red Sox have checked off almost all the marks they’ve previously missed. They got their big free agent signings. They swung a big trade to acquire a star. There’s finally promising prospects coming through the farm system that could potentially make the Opening Day roster. The only thing left to do to make everything worth it is get back to winning.
Currently, the Red Sox are projected to go 85-77 according to Fangraphs, which would rank them as the No. 1 wild card team in the American League East.
Boston’s Spring Training opens against the Tampa Bay Rays on Feb. 22. The Red Sox will kick off their regular season on Opening Day, March 27, away against the Texas Rangers.
