On Thursday October 2, 2025, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees squared off in a winner-takes-all game, with the series tied at one game each. However, the Red Sox were unable to generate any offense and lost 4-0 to end their season in the first round of the playoffs.
With the early postseason exit, Red Sox fans can reflect on the past season and look to the future with hope. Before the start of the 2025 season, the Red Sox had a successful offseason. They acquired star third-basemen Alex Bregman, ace pitcher Garrett Crochet, and hard-throwing relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman. Alongside exciting acquisitions, the Red Sox had three very promising young players almost ready to play in the MLB. These players, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell were dubbed the “Big Three”. All of this, in addition to strong returning players, led to high expectations for the season.
Lucas Bailey ’27, a passionate Red Sox fan, was asked some questions about the season. He felt that the “[Red Sox] could have done better in the playoffs… but the regular season was very good, very productive”. However, at times, the season did not seem likely to be successful The Red Sox hovered around a pedestrian .500 winning percentage through the first few months of the season. Then, to make matters worse, on June 15, the Red Sox traded away superstar Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Most Red Sox fans were disgusted by the trade, but the Red Sox actually performed better after it. They went from having a 37-36 record to finishing the season 89-73, showing a stronger performance post-trade.
Much of the reason for this improvement was the emergence of Roman Anthony. He made his major league debut on June 9 at just 21 years old, and after a slow start, he played really well, until he got injured in early September. When asked which player he was most excited to see next year, Bailey responded without hesitation: “Roman Anthony.” Bailey went as far as saying, “He’s going to be the reason why [the Red Sox] win [the World Series] next year.”
However, Bailey named Garret Crochet as his 2025 Red Sox “Most Valuable Player”. He had the most strikeouts out of any MLB pitcher, had the second-most innings pitched, and had the sixth-lowest Earned Run Average. Bailey remarked, “He was their fuel.” Bailey also highlighted Crochet’s performance in game 1 of the playoffs where he had 11 strikeouts in 7 ⅔ innings, allowing just one run to lead the Red Sox to a win. Another outstanding—and quite surprising—performance came from Aroldis Chapman, who was the best reliever in all of baseball this year. He had a miniscule 1.17 Earned Run Average while saving 32 games. Shortstop Trevor Story and third baseman Alex Bregman both had solid seasons but also did a great job of guiding and inspiring the young players on the team. Additionally, Ceddane Rafaela was one of the best fielders in the MLB and provided some really clutch hits. Brayan Bello was a quality starting pitcher, and many other players contributed.
Marcelo Mayer, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle showed promise as rookies and create an exciting future for the Red Sox. Boston’s front office has done a great job of extending the contracts of promising young players including Anthony, Crochet, Bello, and Rafaela. In order for the Sox to have a good chance at winning the World Series next year, the front office must also have a successful offseason. he main objectives should be to get a #2 starting pitcher behind Crochet, sign a batter who hits for power, and acquire strong defensive position players. Should this be achieved, the Red Sox will likely go from a solid 2025 to an excellent 2026.