Editor’s Note: All my graphics going forward will come directly from my new website, Stat Soldier. Go check it out by clicking here.
Overall Takeaway
First, I want to point out that this is not an offseason outlook. I am simply reflecting on this year. I will have my 2026 outlook after the playoffs.
At the end of each regular season, I go back and revisit my series reviews from the season. Last year, it was a roller coaster that then fell off the rails and ended with a whimper.
2025 was still a roller coaster, but the fun kind, where you never really feel any fear. Your heart might skip a beat here or there, but you survive. Kind of like “White Lightning” at Hershey Park. A strong, sturdy wooden roller coaster that you could ride with your grandma and not fear for her life. You get the adrenaline pumping, yet never feel like you are going to go flying off the tracks and die.
Editor's Note: Upon further research, I have discovered that there was no roller coaster called White Lightning at Hershey Park. The ride is called “Lightning Racer” and is painted white. Not sure what that says about my memory.
Right now, on October 2nd at 10:40 p.m., I feel grateful for this season. It was entertaining from start to finish. You always felt as if the team was playing meaningful games, and with how close it came at the end, you realize they were.
Was I thrilled with every move the Front Office made? No. Did I love every move Alex Cora made? No. Did it feel like a knife in the stomach losing to the Yankees in the Wild Card? Yes.
But at the end of the day, I am a guy hiding in the bathroom from his wife so he can get this blout out, so I take what I can get.
At the start of the season, I predicted that the Red Sox would win the World Series. Next year, I will do the same thing.
What I Loved
Garrett Crochet
Hand up, I was not thrilled when the Red Sox traded Kyle Teel for Crochet. I had major reservations about Crochet’s workload and his second-half numbers in 2024. Obviously, I was utterly wrong.
Brayan Bello/Lucas Giolito
For me, there were much lower expectations for Lucas Giolito. He was coming off Tommy John and had yet to pitch in a Red Sox uniform. For Bello, the pressure of “being the ace” was off him. Expectations were high for him to supplant himself as the #2 starter.
Both of them EXCEEDED the expectations. Giolito had a stretch at the beginning of the summer where he was the best pitcher in baseball. Bello, on the other hand, went the entire summer just logging quality start after quality start.
Both of their regular seasons (and playoffs) ended in a whimper, but I have high hopes that they will step up in the playoffs.
Aroldis Chapman
I am constantly battling with how to feel about Aroldis Chapman.
The Bullpen As A Whole
They were a Top 5 bullpen at the end of the season after being a bottom 10 for the first two months.
ERA: 2nd best in MLB
WHIP: ~5th-best among bullpens
Saves: tied for 6th most
Roman Anthony
It is safe to say that Anthony changed the trajectory of the Red Sox season. In late May, the team began to move down the standings. The spark that Kristian Campell had provided faded away, and the pitching (outside Crochet) was struggling to find its footing. The bullpen was overworked and starting to show signs of strain. The lineup was in flux and became silent, and the team dipped below .500 for the first time. Then, Roman Anthony gets called up, and the team went 46-27 in the games he played.
Trevor Story
He strikes out more than most players in MLB, he whiffs more than them, he walks less than them, and he had the worst defensive season of his career. If you didn’t watch the Red Sox and decided to take a visit to Story’s Baseball Savant page, you would think he is having the worst season of his career. Yet, without Trevor Story, the Red Sox would have never sniffed the playoffs.
Carlos Narvaez
Both Carlos Narvaez and Garrett Crochet were traded to the Red Sox on the same day. I think I speak for many Red Sox fans when I say, I had no freaking idea that the trade even happened. I was too consumed with losing Kyle Teel (which, in hindsight, was ridiculous of me).
Jarren Duran
Take Duran’s 2024 season and put it aside for a moment. I never thought he would replicate that year. His overall performance in 2025 was very good. He created havoc on the basepaths, played almost every game, played above-average defense, and is clearly a core piece of the clubhouse.
Where he lacks is his ability to hit lefties (.211 AVG, .600 OPS). Obviously, that won’t work long term. He also seemingly can not play on the big stage. However, I am not yet calling for the team to trade him. I still think there is a place for him in the lineup as an agent of chaos.
Alex Cora
I have never been the biggest fan of Cora. Yet with this ragtag team, he was still able to make the playoffs and make it feel like they could make a World Series run. For that, I put him in the “loved” section.
What I Was ‘Mid’ About
Lack Of Plan At First Base and Second Base
Let me be clear that this is not a condemnation of Romy Gonzalez or Nate Lowe. Both are playing great right now, but they are not long-term options.
Losing Triston Casas at the beginning of the season was, probably, the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Rafael Devers/Red Sox relationship. I never viewed Casas as a corner piece of the franchise, and he was off to a very poor start. My critique is more on the team not having a backup plan for Casas. I suppose they always viewed Devers as that backup plan, but clearly that was never relayed to him. Next thing you know, everyone is taking reps at first base, including some top prospects who should not have been.
The Big Three
Roman Anthony is already in the loved section, but when you consider “The Big Three” as a whole, you have to include them here. Kristian Campbell looked like a superstar the first couple of weeks, but then fell off a cliff. Marcelo Mayer was very “mid,” and Anthony was amazing. So, overall, most Red Sox fans are feeling “okay” about these three going forward. I do believe that Mayer will figure it out and become a cornerstone of the team. I really believe that Story should move to 2B next year, and Mayer should become the everyday SS. With Campbell, it is too early to make a judgment on him. He showed amazing plate discipline and composure at times early in the season.
Alex Bregman
Maybe I am in the minority here, but Alex Bregman didn’t move the needle for me this season. I understand that he missed some time. But please review the graphic below and let me know who you would rather have.
Front Office
I thought Breslow and Co. did a great job locking up Crochet, Campbell, Anthony, etc. I think kudos need to be given to them as well for the resurgence in the bullpen. However, I can not get past the Devers situation. For that reason, I need to keep them at “mid”.
What I Didn’t Love
No Real Lineup
Injuries aside, Boston never had a true lineup. It felt like one-third of the lineup were platoon players who moved around the field and played when matchups allowed. That was never going to be a recipe for success, and it is the #1 priority going into the offseason.
Defense
Was the defense better than 2024? Yeah. Was it still one of the worst in the league? Yep.
Obviously, the offense was terrible Thursday night, but that loss can be directly attributed to the terrible defense all around.
Rafael Devers Trade Saga
The wounds of the Rafael Devers trade are still fresh amongst the fandom. If you comment on it on X, you will be torn apart by both sides. There does not appear to be a middle ground at present. You have those who are furious, and those who are happy to get the money off the books.
For me I am just sad. I don’t think anyone should be celebrating “getting money off the books” when you are one of the biggest franchises in sports history. Everyone and their mother were going after John Henry the past three winters for not spending money, and now they make a move to save them more money, and half the fanbase applauds it. I don’t get it. The team then follows that up by essentially getting nothing in terms of player value, and then trades the best piece they got from the deal to the Dodgers of all teams.
Time to crawl into a hole for 24 hours.