It’s been a grind for the Boston Red Sox since their last world series win. The 108 wins in 2018 was a franchise record but it’s been followed by just one post season appearance and none in the last three.
While they came within a game of playing in the 2021 series, the other five seasons have been disasters. There have been three last place finishes with an average of placing more than eighteen games out of first.
The team playing under Alex Cora who they won the title with in 2018 when he was a rookie manager, won eighty-one games last season. They sat around wild card contention for awhile and with some young talent pushing through appear ready to make noise once more.
Boston’s payroll topped baseball when they won it all in 2018 and was first again the next season. It has steadily dropped since. Thirteenth in 2023 and up a tick to eleventh last season. Buoyed by young talent, the Sox seem ready to spend again.
Betts departure hurt
The downturn started with Mookie Betts being allowed to leave as a free agent but they’ve signed third baseman Rafael Devers long term and the farm system has produced some burgeoning stars with more on the way.
Center fielder Jarren Duran broke out in his age twenty-seven season. He led the league in doubles and triples while also smacking twenty-one homers and scoring a hundred and eleven runs. Rookie rightfielder Wilyer Abreu won a gold glove.
Twenty-four year old first baseman Tristan Casas seems ready for something special after an injury filled season. Twenty-three year old Ceddane Rafaela is settling in at shortstop and Tanner Houck stepped up with ace like numbers in an all star season to top the pitching staff.
More young talent on the way
A check of prospect lists for 2025 finds outfielder Roman Anthony at the top of many of them. Infielder/ Outfielder Kristian Campbell is not far behind. As is shortstop Marcelo Mayer, if he can just stay healthy.
They seem very much in on the Juan Soto free agent sweepstakes. That would make for a lot of outfielders which would provide Boston with talent to trade to fill other holes.
Soto’s not the only big time free agent the Red Sox are reportedly in the market for. Hoping to bolster the pitching staff with not one but maybe two of the top arms in the market. Working on the threesome of Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell and Max Fried.
The Red Sox with Chris Breslow as the team’s Chief Baseball Officer certainly look ready to step back out of the shadows and return to competing for baseball’s biggest prize.
