The Boston Red Sox 2025 playoff stint was brief, but in that brevity, there are some keys for 2026 that we can glean. As with all small samples, one needs to be careful reading too much into what happened on the field.
By the same token, when those playoff performances underscore regular-season concerns, they become the exclamation point at the end of the sentence. In the case of these three Red Sox who figure to have key roles in 2026, that exclamation point becomes more of a question mark.
3 Red Sox players whose 2025 playoff performance affected 2026 outlook
Brayan Bello
On the heels of Garrett Crochet's dominance in Game One of the AL Wild Card Series, the Red Sox needed Brayan Bello to step up so that the club could put its foot down on the throat of the hated New York Yankees.
In a best two-out-of-three series, taking Game One put Boston in a position to vanquish its rivals before they ever knew what hit them. Without Lucas Giolito, the Sox were forced to start a rookie in Connelly Early, who came in with just four career starts of experience, at the minimum, the Red Sox needed length from Bello.
They'd get neither length nor the victory, putting immense pressure on Early's shoulders in the winner-take-all Game 3. Bello went just 2.1 innings, allowing a two-run first inning homer, and then looking like he was about to unravel as he took the mound in the third inning.
The Red Sox have a lot of uncertainty with their rotation behind Crochet heading into the offseason. They have some uncertainty elsewhere on the roster, too, with the entire left side of the infield being able to opt out. Having Bello dominate and claim the No. 2 role behind Crochet would make Boston's offseason plans that much easier; however, his performance cemented the fact that he cannot be counted on to handle such a big role.
While Bello finished the year with a 3.35 ERA in 166.2 innings, there were some warts. A 4.19 FIP and 4.42 xERA mean that, based on factors in his control and the quality of contact he allowed, he was lucky to get the results that he did. The drop in his strikeout rate from 21.8% in 2024 to 17.7% in 2025 is also very concerning.
Bello posted a 5.40 ERA in September, and for his career, September is his worst month with a 4.68 ERA, meaning he seemingly doesn't have the goods to get it done down the stretch.
All in all, Bello is under contract at a reasonable rate through 2029, and has shown enough to prove he's a member of a quality starting rotation. His 2025 playoff performance, though, further solidifies the idea that he's not one of the leaders of such a rotation.
Jarren Duran
Coming off a 2024 campaign where he was finally healthy and available for the whole season, Duran had the look of a five-tool player launching 21 homers, swiping 34 bases, and playing exceptional defense en route to a 6.8 fWAR season.
However, he endured something of a slow start, and following the Rafael Devers trade, found himself in the middle of trade deadline rumors. While Duran ultimately was not traded, the circumstances that led to his name being bandied about have not changed, and his playoff performance only served to strengthen the logic behind moving him.
Against the Yankees, Duran was just 1-for-11 with a hit by pitch, doing little to help get the offense on track. While that might seem surprising on the surface, a closer look shows it really shouldn't be. The lefty-swinging Duran has a .620 career OPS against southpaws for his career, and in against New York, he ran into two very good ones in Max Fried and Carlos Rodón.
If he really is just a platoon bat, it only exacerbates how crowded things will be in Boston's outfield. Ceddanne Rafaela is no offensive savant, but he's a brilliant center fielder, which is where he needs to play instead of second base.
Wilyer Abreu brings with him more pop and a cannon in right. But the player pushing Duran the most is 2025's breakout star, Roman Anthony. If we concede that Rafaela needs to play in center and that Abreu's arm is too valuable to lose in right, that only leaves left field for Anthony.
Furthermore, 22-year-old Jhostynxon Garcia got a cup of coffee after a strong showing down at Triple-A Worcester, meaning he'll soon be making a push for playing time in Boston's outfield rotation.
Duran's too good overall to be a bench bat, though he may find himself in that scenario if he isn't traded first.
Carlos Narváez
Carlos Narváez had the opportunity to make a statement against his former organization in the Wild Card. While he drew three walks, his 0-8 performance didn't make them miss him much, and even less so as the man he was traded for was just named the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year.
The overall 2025 stat line for Narváez doesn't look too shabby at .241/.306/.419 with 15 homers alongside excellent defense behind the dish, but the season was really a tale of two halves. Narváez came out of the gate hot and finished the first half with a .273/.347/.439 line, which had everyone re-thinking their evaluation of him as a light-hitting defense-forward catcher. However, his second half saw him descend back into familiar territory, slashing .187/.233/.387.
His tepid postseason performance further serves to augment the fact that his true talent probably lies closer to what he did post-All-Star break rather than his success before the Midsummer Classic.
Given the disappointment that Connor Wong has become as the last remaining vestige of the Mookie Betts trade, the Red Sox may have to come to grips with the fact that they have some problems behind the plate.
Narváez might be better suited as a backup; however, unless Boston brings in some competition for him this offseason, he'll likely be the 2026 starter. The question will be for how long?