Overflowing Sock Drawer? Boston Needs to Clear Some Space

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There are a bunch of different ways to break down the Red Sox roster heading into 2026. The Beantown faithful are excited about the anticipated ascension of the Roman Anthony, also known as the ‘Roman Empire,’ and the continuation of Garret Crochet, Arolids Chapman, and the rest of their pitching staff’s 2025 successes. 

Boston has the best problem in baseball. Too much talent. Even with the departure of Alex Bregman, the pipeline of seemingly surefire position players that former President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom instituted made itself known again, this time in the form of Marcelo Mayer. The Red Sox have turned themselves into baseball's fun version of Hydra from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whenever you cut off one of their heads, two more grow back in its place. 

How should the Red Sox handle this apparent surplus of talent while maximizing trade chips and making sure there's enough opportunity for everyone who remains? 

Can’t Quit Casas

It starts with Triston Casas. The big left-hander went from a fan favorite in his breakout rookie season to a change-of-scenery candidate in rapid fashion. Now, Boston looks to deploy newly acquired first baseman Willson Contreras, whose reputation precedes him. Contreras will not only add slug and a fiery presence in the Red Sox clubhouse, but he also brings a much-needed right-handed bat. 

With the addition of a veteran at Casas’s position, the Sox need to find a suitor before he rots on the bench all year. The young towering first baseman still has plenty of value even after middling success the past two years. Look out for a trade sooner rather than later, and if you were a Casas fan, you’ll be happy with what Contreras brings to the table. 

Lefties, Lefties, Lefties!

My Goodness! This lineup is really good until you face a good left-handed starter. Here’s a quick list of all the left-handed bats Boston will be utilizing in 2026: Roman Anthony (OF/DH), Jarren Duran (OF), Wilyer Abreu (OF), Marcelo Mayer (3B), Masataka Yoshida (OF/DH). Now the problem isn’t the sheer amount of lefties, it’s the production that comes from them. 

Anthony, Duran, and Abreu make up a large chunk of the WAR that’s likely to come out of the position unit. Without the new addition of Contreras, only Trevor Story would bring a power threat from the right-handed batter's box, and his threat is spotty at best. 

Boston was rumored to be shopping Duran to other teams this offseason, and it seems they found no realistic package that worked in their favor. Although this could be for the best, as no other player in Boston has the ceiling of a perennial 6-WAR player as Duran does. If Boston is serious about competing every year in the beast that is the AL East, they’ll need a right-handed slugger. 

Whether that comes internally or externally doesn’t really matter; if the Red Sox wanted to explore trade options, Hunter Goodman from Colorado would be a wonderful fit alongside Yandy Diaz from Tampa Bay. Goodman would become the everyday catcher, and current starter Carlos Narvaez would slide to a bench role. Diaz would likely demand moving on from one of Abreu or Duran, and he would push Anthony to the outfield and command designated hitter. 

These are daydream moves, but the reality is, without right-handed production, Boston will continue to fall short. 

Yo, Yoshida?

The Masataka Yoshida contract has become detrimental to the current makeup of the Red Sox. He can’t play defense, he’s not fast, so when he doesn’t hit, he’s nothing. His bat is around league-average most of the time, but when it lags, as anyone will at points during a long season, he drastically impedes the Sox’s chances at winning. Boston needs to cash out on Yoshida even if it means eating some cash.

Look at Philadelphia. Nick Castellanos has been a productive player in years past, and now that he’s not producing, they didn’t even allow him to report to Spring Training. That’s the kind of cutthroat mentality President of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow needs in such a competitive division. Yoshida, we’ll be seeing ya. No disrespect to a talented player, but he just doesn’t fit the mold of the current team. 

Slicing and Dicing

One thing that’s not congested, anything but really, is the pitching. Boston has sewn together an intriguing bullpen and rotation headlined by names like Garret Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, and Garret Whitlock. With so many talented run depressors, expect Boston to steamroll by intermediate-level offenses that pose no challenge. The real threat will come when the other side of the ball is equally as talented on the mound. I.E., in the playoffs and against playoff-caliber competition. 

If the Red Sox want to compete for a World Series, they’ll not only need to bet on their talented arm barn to prevent runs, but they’ll have to be equally as competent against left-handed starters as they are right-handers. It’s simple, really. Consistency is the name of the game. New faces will provide newfound success, but can also bring new problems. I, for one, am excited to watch what the Red Sox front office has concocted this Winter and see if the vision comes to fruition. 

The Vision

You know it. I know it. It’s a ring. A ring in Beantown. Something to get David Ortiz dancing on MLB Network, screaming “Yankees Lose!!” as the Red Sox cruise past their lifetime rival in the ALCS and make way to their first championship since the infamous 2018 team. This team has the talent, they’ve got high-level coaching, and the cities behind them. 

It’s yet to be seen if Alex Cora’s Red Sox can execute at the highest level often enough to end up with an October to remember. The BoSox faithful can only hope and pray that when the leaves start to change, and it’s time to get dressed up for Halloween, the costume their favorite players will be donning will include a World Series ring. 

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