2026 Red Sox/MLB Season Thread

[smicker16]

This likely means that Anthony is the full time LF and that Duren is  gone is my thought. I feel this means Bauers will be full time DH besides maybe spelling Anthony and Contreras which means they are going to eat the Yoshida contract somehow.

[Donoghus]

This likely means that Anthony is the full time LF and that Duren is  gone is my thought. I feel this means Bauers will be full time DH besides maybe spelling Anthony and Contreras which means they are going to eat the Yoshida contract somehow.

This is the last year of the Yoshida contract, right?

[Silas]

I like it.  His 2026 Savant page is dripping red, which makes me think it's not just a lucky fluke season.  And the short track record is why we got him at a much more reasonable number than a guy like Arozarena is likely to get. 

If he flops, you're out $15M a year.  Not the worst.

Sox still need a right handed thumper....

[Phantom255x]

My main issue is that we're really hinging on both the health of Roman Anthony AND also hoping Mead and Bauers both aren't just one-hit wonders and can keep it going. It's risky from that standpoint. But I'm perfectly fine with just moving on from all of Duran, Yoshida and Story. Arias should be up the next time baseball resumes and will be our regular SS. Bauers can play 1B/DH and also some LF on occasion, and Anthony probably mans LF which I think in the long term is ideal assuming health. It also allows them to spell Contreras on occasion since Bauers can rotate 1B/DH.

I'm not sure they'll add another bat, but I think if they can add another high-impact reliever they should be in a good spot. The rotation looks great with Crochet coming back and bullpen still has Whitlock, Chapman, etc. I guess they can add another SP but honestly Houck/Kutter/Bello/Oviedo probably have as good of a chance at making it as a back-end SP.

Reality is, it's a weak FA market especially for hitting and I'm sure Elly De La Cruz and other potential bats are just too expensive. I guess they could dangle Arias + more for another SS but it depends how they feel about Arias. Mead is probably 2B, Adley catcher, Rafaela CF, Abreu RF and Durbin 3B. That part seems set. No clue about Casas but I guess they'll hope he can stay healthy in rehab and minor league stints first

[Goldstar88]

The Red Sox are not going to pay top dollar for a power bat. They did not want to pay Mookie, they reluctantly paid Devers and then salary dumped him. These are the type of contracts the Sox are going to be giving out to FA bats going forward.

[Roy H.]

The Red Sox are not going to pay top dollar for a power bat. They did not want to pay Mookie, they reluctantly paid Devers and then salary dumped him. These are the type of contracts the Sox are going to be giving out to FA bats going forward.

It certainly seems that way.  I would much rather see the Red Sox use their financial resources while still mitigating risk. One way to do that is offering shorter contracts, but overpaying on a yearly basis. Until the leak Institute a salary cap, there's no real reason for the Red Sox to have a payroll outside the top five in MLB.

But, John Henry disagrees.

[Vermont Green]

The Red Sox managed a 0.742 OPS out of the DH spot last season.  That is not too bad, middle of the pack in the AL.  For SS, the team OPS was 0.659.  That remains the soft spot in the line up.

The hope is that Durbin and Mead will solidify the production at 2B and 3B, Rutschman at C should restore some pop to that slot.  Contreras at 1B is solid.  The outfield should be fine, both hitting and defense.  I guess they view Bauers as bolstering the DH production (we'll see).

At SS, the options are Story, Arias, or bring in someone.  Maybe this is the time for Arias with Story in the mix as RH DH, and other fill in opportunities.  SS seems to me to be the place to spend some money, if they are going to spend some money, which they may not with the labor uncertainty.  With Story, if you limit his on field time by having him fill in as DH vs LHP, and then limited time filling in a SS and 2B, maybe he can stay healthy.  Devers could never stay healthy until he became a DH.