2025-26 MLB Offseason Recap: Boston Red Sox

This past winter was…an interesting one for the Red Sox. Boston was not active in the free agent market until January and lost one of the team’s best players from 2025. However, the Red Sox did pivot via the free agent and trade market. Boston acquired several notable starting pitchers, including tricky left-hander Ranger Suarez.

Additions

• 1B Willson Contreras
• INF Caleb Durbin
• INF/C Mickey Gasper
• SP Sonny Gray
• INF Andruw Monasterio
• SP Johan Oviedo
• C/INF Anthony Seigler
• SP Ranger Suarez

The Red Sox made several notable trades this winter. As a matter of fact, more impact players came to Boston in the offseason via trade than the free agent pool.

Boston got the trade train going early, as the Sox acquired veteran pitcher Sonny Gray in late November. Gray cost the Red Sox a lot, as flashy pitching prospect Brandon Clarke and a Major Leaguer — we’ll get to that later — were sent to St. Louis for him. However, it’s hard to find a pitchability guy like Gray, particularly one who could easily have been had.

Gray had over 200 strikeouts last season and can still spin a pretty breaking ball or two.

That rotation was further shored up in December when the Pirates, a team with excess pitching, traded Johan Oviedo to Boston. Oviedo will walk batters occasionally but can pump a hard fastball by hitters. He makes sense as a back-of-the-rotation arm.

However, the marquee new pitcher in Boston is Ranger Suarez, who signed with the Sox in January. Suarez is one of those pitchers who may not put up eye-popping strikeout numbers. Nonetheless, he’s a pitcher any competitor would want.

An elite groundball pitcher who keeps the ball in the yard, can give teams a multitude of different looks, and has extensive postseason experience, Suarez will be leaned upon to take the Red Sox’s rotation to a new level.

Moving to the offense, the Red Sox traded for first baseman Willson Contreras in December. Like the Gray trade, it cost the Sox some notable pieces, including another young MLB pitcher. However, Contreras played solid defense at first and has pop from the right side of the plate — notable for obvious reasons.

It does leave Triston Casas‘ future in flux. He’s still recovering from the ruptured left patellar tendon suffered early last season. But when he returns, who knows how the Sox deploy him?

Boston also acquired speed third baseman Caleb Durbin, who can play well at the hot corner. He’ll be needed to combat a major loss.

Losses

• RP Brennan Bernardino
• 3B Alex Bregman
• SP/RP Cooper Criswell
• SP Hunter Dobbins
• SP Richard Fitts
• OF Jhostynxon Garcia
• SP Lucas Giolito
• INF Vaughn Grissom
• RP Luis Guerrero
• INF David Hamilton
• SP Kyle Harrison
• RP Liam Hendriks
• RP Jordan Hicks
• 1B Nathaniel Lowe
• SP Dustin May
• SP/RP Steven Matz
• OF Rob Refsnyder
• RP Justin Wilson
• RP Josh Winckowski

That’s a lengthy list, isn’t it?

Boston lost a lot of players, and many of the names listed above were traded out of town. But not Alex Bregman.

Bregman signed a five-year deal with the Cubs after a strong, yet injury-shortened 2025 season. He finished in the top 40 in wOBA and was one of the most valuable offensive threats among players at this position. However, that proved to be his only act as a Red Sox.

Aside from Bregman, the Sox shipped out a lot of players. Brennan Bernardino was sent to Colorado, while Richard Fitts (Gray) and Hunter Dobbins (Contreras) were flipped to the Cardinals in separate trades.

Jordan Hicks, part of the Rafael Devers trade last summer, was shipped off along with prospect David Sandlin in a salary dump deal with the White Sox. Kyle Harrison, also part of that Devers deal, was traded to the Brewers for Durbin. David Hamilton was also sent to Milwaukee.

Additionally, Boston moved on from several players who didn’t work with the team. Namely, Vaughn Grissom, who was acquired over two years ago for Chris Sale, plus now-Cardinals pitcher Dustin May.

Lucas Giolito, who posted a sub-4.00 ERA last season with the Red Sox, went to the free agent market in November. As of March 7, 2026, Giolito remained a free agent.

Overview

The Red Sox still retained their outfield core, notable since Boston will have to shuffle how to get the group of five (Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida) playing time. However, that really affects Yoshida more than anyone else. The other four are everyday players, so long as they’re healthy.

Two, the Red Sox also have to manage how to get Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer playing time. Both can be sent to Triple-A, as the two still have options. Sending Campbell to Triple-A, though, wouldn’t be ideal given the big contract extension he received a year ago.

Regardless of how the Sox configure the final 26-man roster for 2026, Boston should be competitive. There’s rotation depth, depth in the lineup, and a strong back-end of the bullpen led by Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman.