Season in Review: 2025

2025 saw the Red Sox make it back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.  They did not last long as they were bounced by the hated Yankees two games to one in the AL Wild Card Series.  The team finished third in the AL East with a record of 89-73, but it was a year marked with turmoil.  The biggest issue was the trade of star Rafael Devers.  Despite that, the team came together and had a big second half to capture one of the Wild Card spots.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

Ceddanne Rafaela

Rafaela became my favorite player in 2025, primarily as a result of the trade of Rafael Devers.  2025 saw him settle in as the center fielder after splitting the 2024 season between center field and shortstop.  He did play second base for chunk of the season, but won the Gold Glove for his play in center.  A late season slump tempered his numbers somewhat, but he hit .249/.295/.414 with 34 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 63 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.  He showed a flair for dramatic hits with a couple walkoff homers and a walkoff triple that sent the team into the postseason.

Wilyer Abreu

Abreu won his second Gold Glove Award in 2025 and solidified his status as the best defensive right fielder in the league.  He also had a very good season at the plate, building on his strong rookie season in 2024.  He was second on the team with 22 home runs and hit .247/.317/.469 with 17 doubles, 69 RBIs and six stolen bases.  He played in only 115 games due to injury, but showed he is a dynamic player when healthy.

Trevor Story

Finally fully healthy for a full season for the first time since signing a lucrative free agent contract with the Red Sox, Story turned into a team leader.  He led the team with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, 91 runs scored, 161 hits and 31 stolen bases while hitting .263/.308/.433.  He played great defense at shortstop until the last few weeks of the season when he seemingly developed a minor form of the yips resulting in a bunch of throwing errors.  Story continued his hot hitting into the postseason as well.  This was the player the Red Sox thought they were getting when he was signed prior to the 2022 season.

Brayan Bello

Bello had a very good season in 2025, finally looking like the pitcher that he was hoped to be when the Red Sox rewarded him with a big extension prior to the 2024 season.  He finished with an 11-9 record and a nifty 3.35 ERA over 166.2 innings.  He is not a big strikeout pitcher, instead inducing a lot of weak contact.  He notched 124 strikeouts with 59 walks.  

Jarren Duran

He was not quite as good as he had been in 2024 when Duran was one of the best players in the league, but he still turned in a productive season.  He led the league with 13 triples and the team with 41 doubles while hitting .256/.332/.442.  He was second on the team with 24 stolen bases, 86 runs scored and 84 RBIs while contributing 16 home runs.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Garrett Whitlock

Whitlock continued to be a force in the back end of the Red Sox bullpen.  He turned in a phenomenal season, going 7-3 with a 2.25 ERA in 62 games, pitching 72 innings.  He struck out 91 batters while walking 24 and picked up a save.  Whitlock did a terrific job of bridging the gap to the team's excellent closer.

Lucas Giolito

Officially, Giolito will go down as a One-Year Wonder, this despite actually signing with the Red Sox prior to the 2024 season, but he was injured all year that year.  Giolito came back strong though with a record of 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings pitched.  He struck out 121 and walked 56 in 26 games pitched.  

Rob Refsnyder

Designated lefty masher Refsnyder had another productive season as a role player in 2025.  He played in 70 games, hitting .269/.354/.484 with nine home runs and 30 RBIs.  He played impressive defense in the outfield and hit .302/.399/.560 with seven home runs against lefties.  Unfortunately, 2025 was his last season in Boston.  

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS

Garrett Crochet

The Red Sox gave up a haul to get emerging southpaw starter Crochet from the White Sox, but it was worth it.  Crochet finished second in the Cy Young vote and eighth in the MVP race while starting the All Star Game.  He led the league in shutouts, innings pitched (205.1) and strikeouts (255), as well as strikeouts per nine innings (11.2).  He had a 2.59 ERA and a record of 18-5.  It was very reminiscent of another trade with the White Sox to acquire a lefty starter in Chris Sale.

Alex Bregman

Signing Bregman as a free agent was such an obvious fit that it was amazing it took so long for it to occur, but it also led to a lot of issues with incumbent third-baseman Rafael Devers.  Bregman had some injury issues, but was very good when he was healthy.  He hit .273/.360/.462 with 28 doubles, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs.  He was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, it would be Bregman's only season with the Red Sox.

Aroldis Chapman

Like Crochet and Bregman, Chapman was also an All Star in his first season with the Red Sox.  The likely future Hall of Famer had one of the greatest seasons of his career in 2025, finishing with a 5-3 record with a mind-blowing 1.17 ERA and 85 strikeouts versus just 15 walks in 61.1 innings pitched.  He notched 31 saves.  Chapman continues in a line of potential future Hall of Fame closers acquired by the Red Sox over the last ten years, joining Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITIONS

Steven Matz

There's not much to choose from here and it is annoying that there are no Red Sox cards of most of the midseason acquisitions (and I am definitely not going to use Dustin May).  Matz cost the Red Sox slugging prospect Blaze Jordan, but gave the team 21 games as a lefty reliever with a 2.08 ERA.  He struck out 12 and walked just two in 21.2 innings pitched and even picked up a save.

Nathaniel Lowe

Earlier in the season, habitually wrong pundit Jim Bowden predicted Lowe would be traded to the Red Sox in exchange for prized prospect Payton Tolle.  Thank goodness that didn't happen.  Lowe was actually picked up off of waivers and had a nice run in Boston.  He hit .280/.370/.420 with a couple homers and 16 RBIs in 34 games.  

FAVORITE ROOKIES

Roman Anthony

A lot is expected of Anthony, but he had a phenomenal start to his career in 2025, finishing third in the AL Rookie of the Year vote despite playing in just 71 games before being shut down due to injury.  Anthony hit .292/.396/.463 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs, also contributing 18 doubles and four stolen bases while playing steady defense.  

Carlos Narvaez

Narvaez's contributions were kind of overshadowed by Anthony, but he had a very impressive rookie season of his own.  He was acquired in a trade with the Yankees prior to the season and became the primary catcher, playing great defense and hitting .241/.306/.419 with 27 doubles, 15 homers and 50 RBIs.  He finished eighth in the Rookie of the Year vote.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Connor Wong

After a surprisingly good 2024 season at the plate, Wong took a major step backwards in 2025.  It was revealed after the season that he had a nagging hand injury, but he had an atrocious year at the plate.  He hit just .190/.262/.238 with eight doubles, zero home runs, seven RBIs and two stolen bases.  It looked for a time that his time in Boston was over.  

Kristian Campbell

Campbell was one of Boston's top three prospects entering the 2025 season and shockingly made the team out of Spring Training.  He started off hot too, but cooled down quickly and could not get going again.  He finished with a line of .223/.319/.345 with six homers and 21 RBIs.  His defense was shaky and he was out of the Majors by June and has yet to make it back.

Walker Buehler

Not all of the Red Sox offseason moves worked out.  Buehler was brutally bad for Boston.  He appeared in 23 games, pitching 112.1 innings to an ERA of 5.45 and a record of 7-7.  He struck out 84 and walked 55 and had a WHIP of 1.558.  It was a shockingly bad performance for a pitcher who had helped the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series a few months prior.  Boston cut bait and he ended up in Philadelphia.

Rafael Devers

Devers is not here because he played poorly.  On the contrary, after a brutal start to the season, he was having one of his greatest seasons, but his attitude, particularly sulking after being unseated at third base and asked to move first to DH and then to first base, led to the Red Sox making a rushed trade to get out from under his contract.  He was hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs at the time of the trade.  

POSTSEASON HERO

Garrett Crochet

There are not too many options here as the offense fell completely flat and Brayan Bello was terrible in the postseason.  Crochet though, built upon his huge regular season and struck out 11 Yankees in 7.2 innings while giving up just one run in his Game 1 victory.  Boston was handicapped by a number of major injuries to key players though and were not able to build on it.

Season in Review: 2024

The Red Sox improved slightly in 2024, going 81-81.  It was the first non-losing season since 2021, but it could have been much better if not for a post-All Star Break slide.  The team was built around a young core who simply seemed to wear down as the season went on.  Injuries took a huge toll on the team, which certainly didn't help, and some of the players brought in, failed to make an impact  

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

RAFAEL DEVERS

Devers put together another fantastic season at the plate.  It is still hard to believe this was the last full season of him in Boston.  He was an All Star for the third time as he hit .272/.354/.516 and led the team with 28 home runs and 83 RBIs.  He was among the league leaders in on-base percentage, slugging and doubles (34).  He continued to have a difficult time defensively at third base, but his hitting made up for it.  

JARREN DURAN

2024 was the year of Jarren Duran for the Red Sox.  The speedy outfielder played in 160 games (and would have played in all 162 if not for a brief suspension which I won't get into).  He led the team with 8.7 bWAR and hit .285/.342/.492 with 21 home runs, 75 RBIs and 34 stolen bases.  He led the league in doubles (48) and triples (14) while notching 191 hits and 111 runs scored.  He was an All Star for the first time, winning MVP honors and finished eighth in the MVP race.

TANNER HOUCK

Boston's third All Star in 2024 was former first-round pick Houck, who was electrifying in the first half of the season.  Unfortunately, he was not able to sustain that success throughout the season.  Houck led the league in shutouts and had a record of 9-10 with a team-leading 3.12 ERA.  In 178.2 innings pitched, he struck out 154 batters while walking just 48.  His home runs allowed per nine innings also led the league.  

CONNOR WONG

Despite some significant defensive struggles, Wong had a very nice season in 2024.  He stumbled down the stretch as the workload behind the plate wore him down, but he ended up the season with a slash line of .280/.333/.425, not bad numbers for a catcher.  He also hit 13 home runs, drove in 52 runs and stole eight bases.  He was among the league leaders in fielding percentage, runners caught stealing and assists.  It did look like he could be a starter for a long time to come.

BRAYAN BELLO

Bello came into the season looking like a breakthrough candidate, but just could not seem to get on track.  He seemed to struggle with his command at times and would get frustrated.  Despite that, he led the team in wins (14-8 record).  His ERA was high (4.49), but he struck out 153 batters in 162.1 innings and walked 64.  He seemed to get better down the stretch and built on that going into 2025.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

KENLEY JANSEN

The closer was the oldest regular player on the team at 36 years old, but still had some life left in his arm.  He continued to build on his potential Hall of Fame career, going 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA in 54 games pitched.  In 54.2 innings, he struck out 62 batters while walking 20 and notched 27 saves.  Jansen had some minor injuries and shut down toward the end of the season when it was clear the Red Sox were not going to be in the postseason, which angered some.

KUTTER CRAWFORD

The third of three starters to be developed by the Red Sox to start 30 or more games in 2024, which is the first time that has happened in a very long time, Crawford led the league in losses (9-16 record), but actually had a decent season.  He also led the league in games started (33) and had a 4.36 ERA, throwing 183.2 innings while striking out a team high 175 and walking 51.  He also led the team with a 1.122 WHIP.

NICK PIVETTA

Pivetta always felt like a pitcher close to a breakout season.  Even though it did not happen in 2024, he still put up some impressive numbers.  He did not lead the team in strikeouts, but he did lead in strikeouts per nine innings as he punched out 172 in just 145.2 innings pitched and also only walked 31 batters.  He had a record of 6-12 and had a 4.14 ERA.  Unfortunately, this was his last season in Boston and he finally had that breakout season this year in San Diego.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION

 TYLER O'NEILL

The Cardinals make a lot of silly trades, and this was no different as they sent O'Neill to Boston for Nick Robertson and Victor Santos, neither of whom did anything for St. Louis.  O'Neill crushed 31 home runs in 2024 and had a line of .241/.336/.511.  Injuries plagued him, but he found Fenway to his liking.  He didn't stay in Boston as the team had too many outfielders, but he became another One-Year Wonder right-fielder.  His biggest moment was homering on Opening Day for the fifth straight season.

FAVORITE MID-SEASON ACQUISITION

DANNY JANSEN

There is not really much to choose from in this category.  Jansen was acquired in order spell Connor Wong behind the plate as well as for his ability to hit lefties.  The Red Sox gave up several prospects that would have needed protection from the Rule 5 Draft.  Unfortunately, Jansen hit just .188/.323/.300  with three home runs and six RBIs in 30 games.  His biggest moment was appearing in a game that had been suspended by rain a couple months earlier against his old team, in which he had been in the lineup, making him the first player to appear for both teams in the same game.

FAVORITE ROOKIES

WILYER ABREU

Picking a favorite rookie was a much bigger competition.  Abreu wins on the strength of the fact that he was the only one of these three players to receive Rookie of the Year consideration (he finished sixth, but should have been higher).  Abreu, acquired in the Christian Vazquez trade, appeared in 132 games and hit .253/.322/.459 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs.  He also stole eight bases and hit 33 doubles.  Abreu won the Gold Glove as well.  

CEDDANNE RAFAELA

A slump in the second half dropped Rafaela from consideration for the Rookie of the Year vote.  He basically split the season between shortstop (82 games) and center field (87 games), while also appearing at second base, third base and right field. He was terrific in center, but did not do quite as well at shortstop, which kept him from winning the multi-position Gold Glove.  He hit .246/.274/.390 with 15 home runs, 75 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.  He also had 23 doubles and five triples and 134 hits (fourth on the team).  

DAVID HAMILTON

Hamilton was the big prospect acquired in the deal that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers and returned Jackie Bradley Jr. to Boston.  He started the 2024 season very rough and struggled mightily at shortstop.  He started playing much better once he was moved to second base and ended up second on the team in stolen bases (33), which would have been more had he not gone down with an injury late in the season.  Hamilton hit .248/.303/.395 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

TREVOR STORY

It was yet another injury-plagued season for Story in 2024.  He suffered a dislocated shoulder diving for a ground ball early in the season and only appeared in 26 games.  He had yet to appear in 100 games in the first three seasons of his Red Sox tenure at this point.  Story hit .255/.340/.394 with two home runs, ten RBIs and six stolen bases.  So, he hit well when he was on the field, that just was not often enough.

TRISTON CASAS

Casas also had a season marred by injury as a strained rib limited him to just 63 games played.  He was impressive at the plate when he was healthy.  He hit .241/.337/.462 with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs in his second season.  His biggest moment was a three-homer game late in the season.  Casas's health has become a real concern with penciling his name into the lineup going forward.

VAUGHN GRISSOM

Grissom was supposed to be the second-baseman in 2024, but injuries ended up limiting him to 31 games played.  He was bad when he was in the lineup, hitting just .190/.246/.219 with just three extra base hits (all doubles), six RBIs and two stolen bases.  As bad as all that is, the fact that he was the entire package the Red Sox received for Chris Sale made it that much worse as Sale had a return-to-form and finally won a Cy Young Award.

Season in Review: 2023

The Red Sox finished in last place once again in 2023.  This is the second year in a row for that finish.  Their record was an identical 78-84 under Alex Cora.  The year was marked primarily by inconsistency from the offense and injuries to the pitching staff.  Before the end of the season, CBO Chaim Bloom was relieved of his duties and former reliever Craig Breslow was eventually hired on.  Hopefully there will be some improvement in 2024.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS

RAFAEL DEVERS

Devers signed a massive extension prior to the season, which was almost a necessity after the Red Sox lost Xander Bogaerts to free agency.  Devers had what was perceived to be a down season in 2023, but still won his second Silver Slugger Award.  He hit .271/.351/.500 with 33 home runs, 100 RBIs, 34 doubles and 90 runs scored.  If that's a down season, I am thrilled he will spend most of the rest of his career in Boston.

CONNOR WONG

It should not be at all surprising that I fit Wong in here.  This was the Year of Wong in my collection.  Most of the rest of the team took a backseat to my collecting Wong and he is just outside the top five players I have the most cards of.  Wong proved to be a reliable defender behind the plate and hit just enough to edge out the incumbent Reese McGuire for starting catcher.  He ended the season hitting .235/.288/.385 with nine home runs, 36 RBIs, 25 doubles and a surprising eight stolen bases as a catcher.  Hopefully he takes another step forward next season.

BRAYAN BELLO

Bello emerged as the top starting pitcher on the team in 2023 after an uneven rookie season that saw him improve as the season progressed.  He ended up leading the team in games started (28) and innings pitched (157).  He was also the team's top winner, finishing with a record of 12-11.  Bello struck out 132 batters while walking 45 and had an ERA of 4.24.  He still experienced some growing pains, but looks like a legitimate starter going forward.

NICK PIVETTA

Pivetta had an inconsistent season that saw him perform in a variety of roles.  He started 16 games while finishing three.  He pitched in 38 games total and threw 142.2 innings.  He had a 10-9 record and even notched a save.  Pivetta was the team's top strikeout pitcher, notching 183, against 50 walks.  It is difficult to say what Pivetta's role will be going forward, but he has proven to be a valuable pitcher for the Red Sox ever since his acquisition during the 2020 season.  

JARREN DURAN

Probably the biggest surprise of the 2023 season was the development of Duran.  He had always put up terrific numbers in the minors, but largely struggled in the Majors.  Especially defensively.  But 2023 saw Duran put it all together finally, before an injury ended his season.  He ended up playing in 102 games and hit .295/.346/.482 with 34 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBIs and leading the team with 24 stolen bases.  The Red Sox have seemingly cleared the way for Duran to be the starting center fielder in 2024.  Hopefully he builds on this.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

KUTTER CRAWFORD

Crawford was an under-the-radar success as a starting pitcher in 2023.  He appeared in 31 games, starting 23 and threw 129.1 innings.  He had a record of 6-8, but his 4.04 ERA led the starting staff.  His stuff was even better.  He struck out 135 batters while walking just 36.  Crawford is not really a star, but for a bottom-rotation pitcher, there are a lot worse options.

JOSH WINCKOWSKI

For a time, Winckowski was one of the top relievers in the game.  Overuse caused his numbers to dip a bit in the second half, but it was a massively successful season for the top player received in the Benintendi deal before the 2021 season.  Winckowski appeared in a team-high 60 games, throwing 84.1 innings.  He did start a game as an opener.  Winckowski had a record of 4-4 with three saves and a sparkling 2.88 ERA.  He struck out 82 batters while walking 31.  

TANNER HOUCK

Houck was a former first-round pick and yet another pitcher who appeared in a variety of roles over the last couple of years.  In 2023, Houck settled in as a starter, but had some difficulty going late in games.  He was also set back by some injuries.  His final numbers were a record of 6-10 with a 5.01 ERA in 106 innings pitched.  He struck out 99 and walked 41.  Houck is probably getting close to a crossroads in his career.

FAVORITE ACQUISITIONS

KENLEY JANSEN

Boston's only All Star in 2023 was new closer Jansen.  Jansen had one of the bigger career milestones in 2023 as he saved his 400th game, making him look like an eventual Hall of Famer.  He had some minor injury issues, but by and large was as advertised.  He appeared in 51 games and saved 29 of them.  He had a record of 3-6 with a 3.63 ERA that was inflated by a couple of really bad outings.  He struck out 52 and walked 17 in 44.2 innings.

JUSTIN TURNER

I have long liked Justin Turner, so I was pretty excited when he signed with Boston to be the primary designated hitter.  The red-haired caveman was a great influence in the clubhouse and appeared at first and second base as well as DH.  He also put up some impressive offensive numbers, hitting .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs, 31 doubles, 86 runs scored and 96 RBIs.  It would be nice to see him back in 2024.

ADAM DUVALL

Early in the season it looked like Duvall would put up an absolutely monstrous campaign.  Unfortunately, he got hurt early and took a bit to get going again when he came back.  As it was, Duvall ended up hitting .247/.303/.531 with 21 home runs and 58 RBIs while playing very good defense.  Duvall is another player who is currently a free agent who could help in some capacity in 2024.

CHRIS MARTIN

I am still waiting on a card of Martin (would you believe he hasn't had one since 2020?!), who was perhaps the best reliever in the league not named Felix Bautista.  Martin appeared in 55 games, throwing 51.1 innings with a microscopic 1.05 ERA and 4-1 record.  He saved three games, striking out 46 with just eight walks.  Martin was fantastic in 2023 and really should receive more notoriety than he has in his career.

FAVORITE MID-SEASON ACQUISITION

LUIS URIAS

The Red Sox did not do much at the trading deadline.  The only deal they made was for second-baseman Urias after being rumored to be in the hunt for starting pitching or for shopping various players.  Urias made an immediate impact in Boston, hitting two grand slams very quickly.  He did not do much other than that and ended up hitting just .225/.361/.337 with two home runs and 13 RBIs.  He has since been traded to the Mariners.

FAVORITE ROOKIES

TRISTON CASAS

Casas had a brutal start to the 2023 season.  For the first month, he was hitting under .200.  But, like Dustin Pedroia, who similarly struggled in his rookie season, Casas eventually figured it out and ended up putting together a terrific rookie campaign.  It was enough to finish third in the Rookie of the Year vote.  Casas ended up hitting .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs.  He is a big part of the future of the team.

MASATAKA YOSHIDA

The Macho Man was not a conventional rookie, having come over from a successful career in Japan.  He started the year making a big name for himself in the World Baseball Classic, and it was this added to the strain of a much more intense travel schedule than he was used, that led him to slump badly at times.  Still, his season was a success as he hit .289/.338/.445 with 155 hits, 33 doubles and 72 RBIs.  His power was one of the things that was questioned, but he hit 15 home runs.  He even stole eight bases.  Now that he knows how to better prepare for the season, it will be interesting to see how he reacts in 2024.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

ALEX VERDUGO

When Verdugo was acquired as the main piece in the Mookie Betts trade, it was hoped that he would develop into a .300 hitter with 20-homer power.  Unfortunately, after his fourth season in Boston, he still has yet to tap into that potential.  There have been glimpses of what could be, but he struggles with consistency and maturity.  His .264/.324/.421 line with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs was just not cutting it any longer and Boston cut bait and sent him to the Yankees earlier this week.  It is unfortunate because I like Verdugo, and love that he seemed happy in Boston, at least until the second half of this season.  He just seemed to shut down.

CHRIS SALE

It was yet another mostly lost season for Sale.  He ended up having his highest innings total (102.2) since 2019 and started 20 games, but he continued to suffer from injuries.  When he was on the mound, there were times that he looked like his old self.  But his final numbers of 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA are not much to write home about.  He did strike out 125 batters while walking 29, so the swing-and-miss stuff is still there, but his contract has been an expensive flop since signing the extension prior to 2019.  One of my friends frequently points out that I had predicted this even before he was acquired.

COREY KLUBER

It's not like much was expected from the former two-time Cy Young winner, but some semblance of just a reliable starter, as he had been the last couple of seasons would have been nice.  Kluber was an unmitigated disaster in 2023.  He ended up appearing in just 15 games, starting nine, with a record of 3-6 and an unsightly 7.04 ERA in 55 innings.  He struck out just 42 batters while walking 21.  It is hard to imagine him getting a Major League contract in 2024.  

TREVOR STORY

Story spent the entire first half of the season on the Injured List.  He ended up playing in just 43 games in 2023.  He has been hurt more than he has been on the field since signing a big contract prior to 2022.  When he did make it back, he was not good.  He ended up hitting just .203/.250/.316 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, though he did steal ten bases and played fantastic defense.  Hopefully this was just trying to find his rhythm and he will be back to normal in 2024.