Opinion: Red Sox have a lot of work to do in the upcoming winter offseason

The tumultuous 2025 season has come to an end for the Boston Red Sox. This season saw a bundle of highs and lows that ultimately wound up with the 89-73 Red Sox facing off against the 94-68 New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card round, going 1-2 in the Bronx and being eliminated from the postseason.

What went right for the Red Sox this season? One clear answer to this question is the contribution of their young rookies, including infielder Marcelo Mayer and infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell, highlighted by the emergence of outfielder Roman Anthony. They also rode the hot hand of ace pitcher Garrett Crochet, whom they acquired during the 2024 offseason from the Chicago White Sox. In his first full season on the Red Sox, Crochet put himself squarely in the conversation for the AL Cy Young award, given yearly to the best pitcher in the American League.

But it wasn’t all about the youth movement at Fenway Park. During the 2025 free agency period the Red Sox signed former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. They
hoped his defensive prowess, being a former Gold Glove award winner, and playoff experience, winning two World Series titles with the Astros, would help shore up their lineup. Shortstop Trevor Story, whom they signed in the 2022 free agency period, finally became a mainstay in the Red Sox lineup, after playing in less than 40% of games through his first three seasons with the club. This season he played in 157 of 162 regular season games.

What went wrong for the Red Sox? There are many places you could look to explain the Red Sox season, but I’ll talk about just a few. Six players suffered season ending injuries prior to September, including four pitchers, and three others suffered injuries in September, with Anthony and pitcher Lucas Giolito being sidelined for the Wild Card series against the Yankees. The Sox front office, after spending big in the offseason, had a lackluster performance during the season. They traded away franchise star, designated hitter Rafael Devers, for an underwhelming return, which ended up netting them two pitchers who did not make the postseason roster. They also did not make the splash they were expected to at the trade deadline. Their biggest move was trading for reliever Steven Matz, but fans wanted more. Leading up to the deadline, Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan was heavily linked to the Sox, and fans were left horribly disappointed when they were unable to pull the trigger on a trade to bring him to Boston.

So, what should happen in the offseason? The Red Sox have a laundry list of things to accomplish this winter. They need to clear up their logjam in the outfield, find a way to get the young guys in the lineup, sign a power bat, retool their top of the league bullpen and acquire a number two starting pitcher for their rotation. The Sox currently have four starting caliber outfielders on their roster, and they struggled to fit them all in the lineup last season. The odd man out after his poor postseason performance is Jarren Duran. The most logical solution to this problem, and their lack of a number two starting pitcher, is to trade Duran for the Twin’s Ryan.

Now Twin’s fans I know this may not be what you want to hear, but it is the best path forward for both teams. It clears up the jam for the Red Sox, and the Twins would receive a former All-Star Game MVP outfielder to pair with Byron Buxton, as well as a number of high quality prospects from Boston’s farm system. Moving on to the bullpen, they need to resign Matz. He pitched well for them in the time he was on the team, and at his age he should receive a cheap contract. Next, if Bregman chooses not to exercise his $40 million player option and enter free agency, let him go. His veteran presence and consistency at the plate will be missed but they need to spend money elsewhere, and it will give Mayer a starting spot in the lineup. The money they save by letting Bregman walk, and from trading Devers and hopefully Duran, should be put towards signing former New York Mets free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Every year since he has been in the league, outside of the Covid shortened 2020 season, Alonso has blasted at least 30 home runs, including 53 as rookie. His addition to the lineup would provide some much needed power. It is easy to say that the Red Sox should do all of this, but it remains to be seen whether they decide to break the mold of the rigid front office. As always, Go Sox!

This is the opinion of Thomas Cass, SJU sophomore.