In Craig Breslow's second season at the helm of the Boston Red Sox organization, they've acted differently than they had in the offseason in a few years. They made blockbuster trades, signed high-profile free agents, and didn't just add around the margins. Red Sox Nation was happy with it then, though they couldn't be too sure until they saw the new team members on the field.
Now, 98 games into the season, at what is considered the "midway point," fans can look back and reevaluate how the offseason played out.
Re-grading the Red Sox 2025 Offseason at the All-Star Break
Justin Wilson signs a one-year, $2.25 million contract - A
The first signing of the offseason was Wilson, a 37-year-old lefty coming off one of his worst seasons of his career in 2024. At first, this seemed like adding around the margins, again. An older reliever looking to find his footing at the end of his career, a year removed from Tommy John.
In retrospect, this move was excellent. In 36 appearances this season he has a 2.48 ERA, good for a 168 ERA+. The journeyman has the fourth-most appearances out of the pen for Boston. According to Baseball Reference's leverage splits, just under half of his opponents' plate appearances have come in high-leverage situations, and he's holding opponents to a .208 batting average and .561 OPS. He has been everything the Sox have needed late in games, and at such a cheap price, this can only be an A.
Aroldis Chapman signs a one-year, $10.75 million contract - A+
Breslow went back to the lefty well for his second signing, but this time addressing the closer role after the departure of Kenley Jansen. This was another potential head-scratcher, as Chapman was also coming off one of the worst seasons of his 16-year MLB career.
Now, the Cuban is having potentially the best season of his career. He has completely limited the walks, cutting his BB/9 by more than half, he has the lowest WHIP of his career, and his ERA+ is 351, the highest mark of his career. The flamethrower was selected to his eighth All-Star team and is in the top three in betting odds to win the AL Reliever of the Year. This is one of the best free agent signings, period this offseason, and easily garners an A+
Red Sox acquire Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects - A+
This was the move that fans were waiting for all offseason. Though they were unsure if it was going to be a signing or a trade, the acquisition of a true ace was the Red Sox's top need heading into 2025. At the time of the trade, it was an A move, with the only question being whether Boston was going to be able to extend him past 2026. They did after just one start.
The 26-year-old lefty has been everything the Red Sox could have asked for. He leads all of MLB in innings pitched (129.1) and strikeouts (160), while also leading the AL in ERA (2.23) and ERA+ (185). Every time he has touched the mound the Sox have a chance to win, and in just his first year in Boston, he is in the thick of the AL Cy Young race. This was a close to perfect move when Breslow made it, and extending him until at least 2030 made it perfect, A+.
Red Sox acquire Carlos Narváez from the New York Yankees - A
This was one of the most under-the-radar moves of the offseason. On the same day they traded away their catcher of the future, Kyle Teel, in the Garrett Crochet deal, they acquired Narváez from their rivals. The righty made a quick six-game debut for the Bombers in 2024, but didn't have a path to playing time in 2025, so the Sox scooped him up.
This may be one of the most impactful moves of the entire offseason. The 26-year-old rookie has been a revelation for Boston in 2025. He's hitting .273 with a .786 OPS, playing almost every day (67 games started and 73 total), while hitting in the top four of the lineup most of the time. Not only has he been a consistent producer at the plate, he's third among catchers, and tied for seventh in all of baseball, in Fielding Run Value. When this move was made, it was completely overshadowed by the Crochet deal, but now it looks like Breslow hit one onto Lansdowne street, A.
Walker Buehler signs a one-year, $21.05 million contract - D-
When the Red Sox made this move, Buehler was the pitcher coming off the mound after finishing off the Yankees in the World Series. It was a rough 2024 for him after coming back from his second Tommy John surgery, but signs were pointing up, and it seemed like a perfect fit. A place for Buehler to rebuild his value as a once Cy Young favorite, and Boston got a playoff-hardened vet to help mentor a very young staff and an inexperienced staff.
It hasn't played out so well though. Buehler hits the All-Star break with an ERA north of six and a -1.4 bWAR. He's had a handful of solid outings, but many bad ones to overshadow them. Due to injuries, he currently has a spot in the rotation, but with the Sox looking to add pitching at the deadline, he may be the odd man out. Unfortunately, this has been one of the worst signings of the offseason for any team, and the only reason it isn't an F is because he has still posted, making 16 starts, second on the team.
Alex Bregman signs a three-year, $120 million contract - A+
It took until almost the final hour before the start of spring training, but the Sox inked the former Astro to the largest AAV deal in franchise history. Everyone knew Bregman checked all the boxes for what the Sox were looking for on offense, a righty power bat to fit into the middle of the lineup. They waited him out and got him to sign on terms they were more comfortable with.
The reigning gold glove winner at third base started the season scorching hot, and through the first two months of the season racked up almost three bWAR. If it weren't for Aaron Judge's historic start, Bregman would have been in the MVP conversation. Though he hit the IL for over a month and a half with a hamstring strain, he became the perfect mentor for a very young clubhouse. Almost every player mentions Bregman when talking about their improvements and growth. Most shots of Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony in the dugout also feature Alex Bregman talking to them. His play on the field and coach-like mentality off it make this another A+ grade for Breslow.