Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

After finishing 2024 with an 81-81 record, the Red Sox rose from their lengthy slumber to once again assert themselves as a force in the offseason market with substantial upgrades all around the roster. Will it be enough to get back to the postseason?

Major League Signings

• Alex Bregman, 3B: Three years, $120MM (deferrals knock NPV to roughly $95.1MM, deal includes opt-outs after first two seasons)
• Walker Buehler, SP: One year, $21.05MM
• Aroldis Chapman, RP: One year, $10.75MM
• Patrick Sandoval, SP: Two years, $18.25MM
• Justin Wilson, RP: One year, $2.25MM

2025 spending: $79.55MM
Total spending: $172.3MM

Option Decisions

• Lucas Giolito, SP: Exercised $19MM player option
• Rob Refsnyder, OF: Team exercised $2.1MM club option

Trades and Waiver Claims

• Acquired SP Garrett Crochet from the White Sox for minor league C Kyle Teel, minor league OF Braden Montgomery, minor league INF Chase Meidroth, and minor league SP Wikelman Gonzalez
• Acquired C Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees for minor league SP Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space
• Traded INF Enmanuel Valdez to the Pirates for minor league RP Joe Vogatsky
• Traded RP Cam Booser to the White Sox for minor league SP Yhoiker Fajardo
• Acquired RP Jovani Moran from the Twins for C/INF Mickey Gasper
• Acquired C Blake Sabol from the Giants for international bonus pool space
• Traded RP Chase Shugart to the Pirates for minor league RP Matt McShane
• Traded RP Noah Davis to the Dodgers for cash

Notable Minor League Signings

• Austin Adams, Matt Moore, Sean Newcomb, Adam Ottavino (later released), Robert Stock, Abraham Toro, Trayce Thompson, Seby Zavala

Extensions

• None

Notable Losses

• Cam Booser, Noah Davis, Luis Garcia, Mickey Gasper, Wikelman Gonzalez, Bailey Horn (waivers), Danny Jansen, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery, Tyler O'Neill, James Paxton, Nick Pivetta, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, Lucas Sims, Chase Shugart, Kyle Teel, Naoyuki Uwasawa, Enmanuel Valdez

After four straight seasons without a playoff berth, the Red Sox entered the winter with plenty of positive signs. Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Richard Fitts looked like an enviable nucleus of young rotation talent under team control, while Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu enjoyed breakout seasons in the outfield. With the best young talent, including baseball's #1 prospect Roman Anthony, and three other top-50 talents in Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Kyle Teel knocking on the door, it seemed clear that the time was now for the club to push its chips in and force open a new competitive window.

While there was some skepticism about the club's intentions at the outset of the offseason, particularly after last winter's "full-throttle" comments led to a quiet offseason that brought little new talent into the fold, the club quickly showed itself to be a legitimate threat to spend when it emerged as a surprise finalist for the services of Juan Soto alongside expected contenders like the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. The Red Sox ultimately fell short of that pursuit, finishing alongside Toronto ahead of L.A. but behind the two New York teams. Even as Soto landed in Queens, however, Boston's apparent willingness to give out a contract in the range of $700MM made clear they were serious about improving this winter.

In the aftermath of Soto signing elsewhere, the Red Sox had two main priorities to address: adding a big right-handed bat to the lineup, and bringing in an ace (preferably one that throws left-handed) to lead their young but talented pitching staff. Initial attempts to bring in players like Max Fried (who eventually signed in the Bronx) and Teoscar Hernandez (who eventually returned to the Dodgers) fell apart, but the Red Sox didn't let the league's biggest spenders nabbing their top targets stop them from addressing their needs in a big way. During the Winter Meetings, the Red Sox echoed the Chris Sale trade by swinging a blockbuster with the White Sox that saw them surrender a bevy of talented prospects in exchange for an extremely talented southpaw.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

• Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
• Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
• Remove ads and support our writers.
• Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker