The Boston Red Sox finally made a big offseason splash last week, acquiring left-hander Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster deal with the Chicago White Sox. The move gives Boston the ace it has desperately needed, but question marks remain on the pitching staff and throughout the rest of the roster.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has stated that the club is still searching for rotation upgrades, right-handed bats, and bullpen help. They still could address those needs via free agency, but we shouldn't rule out another blockbuster trade that would shake up the projected Opening Day roster.
Until then, here's an early 2025 Red Sox roster projection with many changes expected to be made in the coming months:
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Catcher (2)
- Connor Wong
- Carlos Narvaez
The Red Sox traded their No. 4 ranked prospect, catcher Kyle Teel, to the Chicago White Sox in the deal that brought left-handed ace Garrett Crochet to Boston. Teel would have had a clear path to a big-league role alongside Connor Wong but instead, he's the odd man out amongst the "core four" Sox prospects.
Shortly after the Crochet trade, the Red Sox acquired backstop Carlos Narvaez from the New York Yankees for right-handed pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Narvaez has only six games worth of MLB experience but is considered an above-average defensive catcher. He's in line to serve as Wong's backup barring any other moves to bring in a big-league catcher this offseason.
First base (1)
- Triston Casas
Triston Casas is locked in as Boston's Opening Day first baseman until further notice. That said, there appears to be a real chance he isn't on the roster when the Red Sox begin their season in Texas on March 27.
The 24-year-old slugger continues to be mentioned in trade rumors as we approach the New Year. He reportedly was brought up in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners with Boston eyeing one of their starting pitchers early in the offseason.
Those trade rumors, combined with the talk of potentially moving third baseman Rafael Devers to first base, point toward Casas anchoring a different lineup next season. For now though, he's the "set it and forget it" Red Sox first baseman for 2025 and beyond.
Second base (2)
- Vaughn Grissom
- Kristian Campbell
Enmanuel Valdez led the Red Sox in starts at second base (56) last season, but he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-hander Joe Vogatsky on Sunday. That deal leaves youngsters Vaughn Grissom, Kristian Campbell, and David Hamilton (more on him in the shortstop section below) as the top candidates for the starting second baseman gig in 2025.
Grissom, who turns 24 in January, was acquired from the Atlanta Braves last offseason in exchange for veteran left-hander Chris Sale. That deal looks like a dud in hindsight as Sale went on to win the National League Cy Young award. However, Grissom has time on his side as he looks to develop into the player he was expected to be when he was ranked as Atlanta's top prospect.
If Grissom can't find his groove in 2025, breakout Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell could steal the starting second base job. The No. 2 ranked prospect in the system (via SoxProspects.com), Campbell was named the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year after starting the season at High-A Greenville and ending it with Triple-A Worcester. He slashed .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 77 RBI across 115 minor-league games.
If he picks up where he left off, it'll be tough to omit Campbell from the 2025 Opening Day roster.
Shortstop (2)
- Trevor Story
- David Hamilton
A healthy Story could be a game-changer for Boston, but it's a pipe dream at this point. The 32-year-old hasn't been able to stay on the field since the Red Sox signed him in 2022.
Nonetheless, Story is under contract through 2027 and is all but locked in as Boston's Opening Day shortstop. So what about the backup plan?
Speedy middle infielder David Hamilton played 62 games at shortstop in 2024. The Red Sox probably would prefer to have him come off the bench as a versatile defender and a base-stealing threat, but he's a viable option if Story goes down. He also could take the starting second baseman job if neither Grissom nor Campbell are ready for the role.
Ceddanne Rafaela and top prospect Marcelo Mayer also are candidates to spend time at shortstop. Rafaela played 87 games in the outfield and 82 at short in 2024. Mayer was unable to play after being promoted to Triple-A due to a season-ending lumbar strain, so he'll almost certainly start next season in Worcester with hopes of making the big-league roster later in the campaign.
Third base (1)
- Rafael Devers
This one doesn't require much thought, but it will if the offseason rumors connecting the Red Sox to veteran third basemen Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado come to fruition.
Bregman and Arenado would be massive defensive upgrades at third base, and acquiring one of them would likely result in Devers moving to first base (if Casas is traded) or designated hitter. Until a move like that is made, however, Devers will maintain his role at the hot corner.
Outfield (4)
- Jarren Duran
- Ceddanne Rafaela
- Wilyer Abreu
- Rob Refsnyder
Tyler O'Neill is out of the picture after signing with the Baltimore Orioles, but the Red Sox still have a logjam in the outfield.
Roman Anthony, the league's No. 1 prospect, appears ready for The Show. To make room for him on the roster, Boston could look to trade Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran in a package for starting pitching. Simply adding Anthony to the mix would be redundant and make the lineup even more left-handed-heavy.
Designated hitter (1)
- Masataka Yoshida
In a perfect world, the Red Sox would send Yoshida to a team willing to eat some of his salary in a trade this offseason. That doesn't seem likely, however, with the 31-year-old coming off an up-and-down campaign that ended with him undergoing surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.
Yoshida is set to open the 2025 campaign as the team's DH once again, but he doesn't fit well on the roster as a left-handed hitter who lacks power. Perhaps Boston will move Devers to DH or sign one of the top sluggers left on the free-agent market.
If it's the latter, here are the top hitters still available in free agency:
- Teoscar Hernandez, OF
- Pete Alonso, 1B
- Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
- Christian Walker, 1B
- Alex Bregman, 3B
- Anthony Santander, OF
- Justin Turner, DH/1B
- Jurickson Profar, OF
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- J.D. Martinez, DH
Starting pitchers (5)
- Garrett Crochet, LHP
- Brayan Bello, RHP
- Tanner Houck, RHP
- Lucas Giolito, RHP
- Kutter Crawford, RHP
The addition of Crochet completely changes the appearance of Boston's starting rotation and gives the staff a bona fide ace. Still, it couldn't hurt to add another front-end starter to give the Red Sox a 1-2 punch that can go toe-to-toe with any rotation in the league.
Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and Kutter Crawford each gave the Red Sox 30-plus starts in 2024. Lucas Giolito is a Comeback Player of the Year candidate after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire season. It's a high-upside group, but Boston's best course of action would be to sign or trade for another No. 1 or 2 starter
Rotation depth options include Cooper Criswell, Michael Fulmer, Richard Fitts, and Josh Winckowski.
Here are the most appealing starting pitching options left on the free-agent market:
- Corbin Burnes, RHP
- Walker Buehler, RHP
- Jack Flaherty, RHP
- Jose Quintana, LHP
- Sean Manaea, LHP
Relief pitchers (8)
- Liam Hendriks, RHP
- Aroldis Chapman, LHP
- Justin Slaten, RHP
- Justin Wilson, LHP
- Josh Winckowski, RHP
- Zack Kelly, RHP
- Greg Weissert, RHP
- Richard Fitts, RHP
With veterans Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin hitting free agency, Breslow has made a noticeable effort to improve the bullpen this offseason by signing left-handed relievers Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson. It'll be a formidable group if Liam Hendriks regains his 2022 form and Chapman can continue to fend off Father Time.
If the Red Sox continue to pursue bullpen upgrades, here are the top options still on the market:
- Jeff Hoffman, RHP
- Tanner Scott, LHP
- Joe Kelly, RHP
- Blake Treinen, RHP
- Kirby Yates, RHP
- Paul Sewald, RHP
- Carlos Estevez, RHP
- Scott Barlow, RHP
- Tanner Scott, LHP
- Jose Leclerc, RHP
- A.J. Minter, LHP
Injured list
- Garrett Whitlock, RHP (Tommy John rehab)
- Chris Murphy, LHP (Tommy John rehab)
