As that meek double play brought the curtain down on an epic World Series and a 2025 MLB season that may have ushered in a Dodgers dynasty, my thoughts strayed to an appraisal of the last seven months, through the distorted lens of a Boston Red Sox fan.
So, let’s start where all MLB season journeys begin, at Spring Training and the Free Agent market. Following the much-fabled winter meetings, it was clear that the Red Sox had finally signalled an intention to compete in 2025.
Having signed ace pitcher Garrett Crochet from the rebuilding White Sox and with a trio of young stars in Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony waiting in the wings to revitalise a stale playing squad, Red Sox fans approached the season with renewed hope.
As Spring Training whetted appetites, hope crystallised into genuine expectation as perennial Astros All-Star third Baseman Alex Bregman signed a three-year $120 million contract with two opt-outs for 2026 and 2027. But there was a catch, the team already possessed a star player at the hot corner in the not inconsiderable shape of fan favourite slugger Rafael Devers.
This tension would play out over the first couple of months as Devers reluctantly moved to DH and then struggled to put bat to ball. Further drama ensued on the first Friday in May against the Twins as first baseman Triston Casas damaged his left knee running to first on a softly hit ground ball. With no obvious replacement, Devers was asked to fill in at first base, and all hell broke loose.
Within weeks, the shock news came that Devers had been traded to the Giants, with the Red Sox receiving four players in return, including two underwhelming pitchers with MLB service, Jordan Hicks (-1.8 bWAR) and Kyle Harrison (0.5 bWAR).
Key targets Joe Ryan of the Twins (final 4.5 bWAR, 3.42 ERA) and Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks (final 2.9 bWAR and 3.52 ERA) did not move to Beantown, and, with the usually dependable Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford out for the year, it looked like 2025 was yet another season of missed opportunity for the Red Sox.
Of course, as usual, the AL East was insanely competitive with the Blue Jays resurgent and the Yankees riding Judge’s bat all season.
But removing Devers from the clubhouse seemed to unleash a renewed sense of energy and purpose as Manager Alex Cora, harnessing the veteran leadership skills of Bregman, steered the team into contention.
Leading up to the All-Star break in July, the team went on an insane 10-game winning streak, which ended with a 4-1 defeat to the Cubs at Wrigley Field straight after the midseason break. At this point, the Sox held a 5-1 series lead over the Yankees, which included a memorable June sweep at a raucous Fenway Park.
Further pitching depth was added prior to the trade deadline in August as relief pitcher Steven Matz was acquired from the Cardinals, and injury-prone Dustin May was picked up from the pitching-rich Dodgers. Despite or maybe because of this, the starting rotation behind potential Cy Young winner Crochet, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello was messy.
Eventually, underperforming fourth starter Walker Buehler was released, and Payton Tolle was called up from the minors to supplement a revolving door of hurlers, including Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins. Throughout this front-end chaos, the bullpen, spearheaded by the evergreen closer Aroldis Chapman (32 saves, bWAR 3.5) and former starter Garrett Whitlock (bWAR 2.4), had been quietly building a reputation as one of the best in the game.
In what was a challenging season for Cora, he also had to deal with injuries and loss of form on the hitting front with Bregman absent for two months, and the Campbell/Mayer rookie experiment not quite working. Despite this, the Red Sox uncovered a potential franchise star in Roman Anthony, who hit .292/.396/.463/.859 with a bWAR OF 3.1 before injury ended his season in early September.
There were also excellent performances by Ceddanne Rafaela (bWAR 4.8), who continued to perform heroics in centre field, Jarren Duran (bWAR 4.6), Trevor Story (bWAR 3.8) and Wilyer Abreu (bWAR 3.2), despite an injury-interrupted season.
On 1st September, as the season headed inexorably towards the playoffs, the Red Sox were in third place, with a 76-62 record, just a half game behind the Yankees and 3.5 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays. However, the team played inconsistent baseball down the stretch, winning 13 and losing 11 games in the final month of the season. Despite this, the Red Sox ended the 2025 regular season with an 89-73 record, clinching a Wild Card berth and a first playoff appearance in four years.
The season finally ended tamely at Yankee Stadium as the Red Sox lost a three-game series 2-1 to our nearest and dearest, despite taking the first game behind an almost perfect start by Crochet.
So, despite all the drama, chaos and quick fixes, the Boston Red Sox had a good season overall. The team made the playoffs and found a true pitching ace in Garrett Crochet (18 wins, bWAR 6.3). Roman Anthony also emerged as a star hitter, and it was no surprise that he was signed to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension in August.
Alex Bregman exercised his opt-out clause to enter free agency and was snapped up by the Cubs. There are a number of rental players, particularly on the pitching staff, who we may not see in a Red Sox uniform next year. But hope springs eternal, as they say, and, building on the foundation stones of 2025, the Boston Red Sox might just disrupt the Dodgers’ hegemony and win it all in 2026!
Featured image of Jarren Duran by Al Bello/Getty Images.
Article by Carl Taylor – check out his previous articles on Bat Flips & Nerds
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