The Boston Red Sox are headed home for the winter, swept out of the Wild Card Series by their arch-rival New York Yankees after a brutal 9-2 loss on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. They got absolutely clobbered, outscored a staggering 18-2 across the two games, marking another frustrating exit at the hands of their Bronx nemeses. Now, Boston’s staring down an offseason trying to figure out how to finally get over that “Bronx hump.”
Boston’s Roller Coaster Season Ended on a Flat Tire
Man, what a ride the Red Sox had this season, but it finished with a gut punch. They kicked things off looking rough, stumbling to a 10-17 record, which cost manager Alex Cora his job. Things didn’t get much better initially, as they sat at a dismal 32-46 by June 25. Seriously, that’s rough. But then, get this: a win against the Yankees that very night sparked an absolutely insane 32-5 run where they were just crushing opponents, outscoring them by 2.6 runs per game. For a solid chunk of the season, they legitimately looked like the best team in baseball, completely unbeatable and exactly what everyone expected coming into 2026. But like all good roller coasters, the ride had to end. A cool-down period hit hard, as they went 23-24 in their final 47 games, including a rough 7-10 stretch in their last 17. Even with a supposedly successful offseason that brought in All-Stars Willson Contreras, Ranger Suárez, and a likely Cy Young vote-getter in Sonny Gray, the Red Sox actually *took a step back* from 2025’s 89-73 record, finishing 2026 with an 87-75 record and a much lower run differential. What happened to that “unbeatable” team?
Offseason Headaches and Roman Anthony’s Nagging Hand
So, what’s next for Boston? The core of the 2027 Red Sox team is expected to look a lot like this year’s squad, assuming closer Aroldis Chapman passes his postseason physical to lock in his $13 million vesting option. Sonny Gray is their only significant free agent, and they’ve got to figure out if Brayan Bello is a starter or a reliever. But after two years stuck in the upper-80s for wins, it’s fair to ask: have they hit their ceiling? Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has got to be looking at some serious changes, because few players should be untouchable this winter. On top of that, there’s the major question mark around wunderkind Roman Anthony. Coming into 2026, he was a trendy MVP pick. Instead, it was a totally lost season for the kid. He only played 55 games because of a nagging right hand/wrist issue, which even forced him out of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series after just two at-bats, and he was pulled from the roster entirely for Game 2. Anthony himself said it was “basically the same thing that happened early on in the year in addition to other strains in a few muscles in other areas in the hand.” The guy put up a .245 batting average, 24 runs, 5 homers, 15 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Not the MVP numbers anyone expected.
This offseason for Boston is gonna be wild. With Aroldis Chapman’s $13 million option pending a physical and Sonny Gray hitting the market, along with figuring out what to do with a talent like Brayan Bello, Craig Breslow has his work cut out for him. They’ve got to sort out Roman Anthony’s hand if they want him to live up to that MVP hype next year. It’s gonna be a long winter in Boston, and the changes Breslow makes could define this team for years.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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