The Boston Red Sox have done a lot of good this offseason, but it isn’t enough to make them favorites in the American League East.
After a busy but somewhat underwhelming winter, Boston has generated more concerns and questions than answers to its 2025 roster. The Sox have no doubt improved their pitching, but big-name acquisitions and better offense still elude them.
Here are the three biggest red flags that spell trouble for the Red Sox this year. Luckily, they still have time to address them.
3 Red Sox red flags heading into the 2025 season
1. No big names want to go to Boston
Tanner Scott’s four-year, $72 million deal with the Dodgers is another reminder for Sox fans that no big names want to call Fenway home.
Boston has publicly pursued several elite free agents this offseason, but none panned out. Despite being listed as one of the final teams in the running for Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Blake Snell, the Sox came up short each time.
Although some national media believe Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hopes to join the Red Sox as a free agent next offseason, recent trade rumors involving the Mets and Blue Jays indicate they might lose out on yet another star. Failing to sign multiple high-caliber free agents signals that Boston hasn't met the mark with its contract offers in recent years. While money isn’t only the driving factor in contract negotiations, it is the most powerful one. The Sox will have a tough time luring in talent without star power on the roster, which is only acquired through spending money.
2. The Sox are projected to spend less
Being cheap has only hurt the Sox since the team changed its spending philosophy after winning the 2018 World Series. Much to critics’ dismay, the Red Sox still haven’t coughed up more than $55 million this winter between all their offseason signings.
Boston is expected to spend even less than it did last year. Currently, Spotrac estimates the Sox's 2025 payroll to come in at just under $168 million, ranking them as the 14th most expensive MLB team. Their 2024 payroll was about $188.5 million, making them the 11th most expensive franchise.
Without trying, the Sox are making themselves a less attractive ball club. Taking an unnecessary and unintentional budget after Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow indicated the team’s willingness to spend at the beginning of the offseason is perplexing and concerning. Frugality is also unattractive to star players who want to compete on a team serious about winning.
Without overextending too much, Boston needs to make better offers to top free agents instead of settling for riskier, mid-tier talent like Aroldis Chapman and Patrick Sandoval, who carry a lower price tag. All it takes is landing one big player for the Sox to rebrand themselves as a team that won’t settle for a bargain.
3. Signing a righty bat is proving to be more challenging than it should be
Boston has yet to even out its lefty-heavy lineup by adding a righty bat. Without a balanced lineup and after the loss of Tyler O'Neill, the Sox are staring down another summer of right-handed hitting slumps.
Boston’s right-handed hitting woes are especially concerning given Fenway’s favoritism by righties. Baseball Savant ranked Fenway Park second behind Coors Field in park factor, weighted on-base average contact, and batting average on contact (including home runs) by righties. Knowing that righty success primarily came from opponents, it’s clear the problem lies in the Sox players and not the field dimensions.
Time is running out and the Sox don’t seem closer to addressing their problem. Rumors of Boston signing All-Star Alex Bregman or trading for Cardinals’ slugger Nolan Arenado are still up in the air, but they don’t mean anything if action isn’t taken.