After Wild Card Loss, Three Questions Define Red Sox Future

Highlights:

• Alex Bregman holds opt-outs after 2025 and is expected to test free agency.
• Garrett Crochet emerged as an ace but Boston’s rotation depth collapsed in October.
• Young talent flashed upside — Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer — but needs time to mature.

The Boston Red Sox lived on a roller coaster this season. They opened 2025 with Alex Bregman in place and Rafael Devers still anchoring the order. By June, Devers was gone to San Francisco in a blockbuster trade, Bregman was the face of the lineup, and Garrett Crochet had emerged as Boston’s ace. The kids came fast — some stuck, some didn’t. For a while, it looked like the gamble might pay off. Instead, it ended in the Wild Card round.

Now that elimination is official, the offseason questions loom larger than the games they just lost.

1. Will Alex Bregman Stay?

Bregman’s three-year, $120 million contract came with opt-outs after 2025 and 2026, and many expect him to use the first one. If he leaves, the Red Sox will have lost both Devers and Bregman inside of a calendar year — a stunning reset for a franchise that built around elite infield bats.

The front office can still make its case to keep him. But if Bregman opts out, the Red Sox’s winter goes from complicated to chaotic.

2. Did They Push Their Arms Too Far?

Garrett Crochet gave Boston exactly what they wanted — an ace. But his October workload told the story: 117 pitches and 11 strikeouts in Game 1, then unavailable the rest of the series. With Lucas Giolito sidelined, rookies and relievers had to carry elimination games.

Boston’s pitching depth hasn’t been October-ready since 2018. Building a rotation behind Crochet has to be the first move this winter.

3. What Do They Really Have in the Kids?

If there was a silver lining, it was the young wave. Ceddanne Rafaela proved himself in center. Wilyer Abreu gave the lineup length. Marcelo Mayer got his first look in the majors. Triston Casas, lost to injury, is still seen as part of the core.

That’s talent to build around, but until those pieces mature together — and are supported by dependable veterans — Boston will remain on the margins in the AL East.