On January 10, in the middle of the offseason, it felt like the Boston Red Sox's 2026 season was already a lost cause. That evening, Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs, and in the process confirmed that the Rafael Devers trade was a complete disaster.
Around this time last year, the Red Sox were rocked by uncertainty. The front office misled Devers about his job for the 2025 season before it signed Bregman to take his place at third base. Devers didn't take the news of his position change well (who would?) and rumors of tension and a potential trade were a dark cloud above the start of baseball season, a typically joyous time for die-hards throughout New England and beyond.
But going into the 2026 slate, despite the loss of two stars and World Series champions in Devers and Bregman, the doom and gloom of the offseason have subsided. The Red Sox may not have landed the players they pursued most aggressively over the winter and elite free agents may still evade them, but a lot has gone right this spring.
Boston's newest additions seem to fit in well with the team. Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, Ranger Suárez, Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin undoubtedly make the Red Sox better: Gray is a much-needed veteran presence and established strike thrower, Oviedo boasts a deadly fastball and is working on improving his arsenal to support it, Suárez is a consistent top-of-the-rotation arm and a postseason demon, Contreras brings improved defense to first base and the promise of some pop, and Durbin has a gritty, dirt dog-style of play Boston fans will love.
The Red Sox have shown that they have star power to go around, despite doubts
It remains to be seen how much better the Red Sox will be compared to last season, as improvements around the American League East leave room for doubt. But along with their savvy offseason moves, multiple existing Sox players have taken steps forward. Roman Anthony has all the makings of a star, Wilyer Abreu looks fitter and his swing looks smoother and shorter than ever, and Jarren Duran seems to have returned to his 2024 self, who earns All-Star nominations and MVP votes.
The Red Sox took criticism from fans, analysts and insiders over the offseason because they lack true "star power" on their roster. Bregman and Devers were true big names in MLB, with multiple All-Star appearances and MVP votes to their names. Now, Boston's roster is dominated by up-and-coming players rather than established talent.
But the World Baseball Classic showed that may not matter. Everywhere fans looked, a Red Sox player was pulling off an amazing feat, whether it was game-changing home runs or scoreless appearances from the mound. Yes, the WBC is only a seven-game tournament, but it was the highest-stakes baseball some of those players will ever play — Team Venezuela's emotional win showed the world exactly what representing one's country on such a stage means, and the Red Sox were some of the biggest stars of that show.
In recent years, previous weaknesses have turned to strengths. The Sox have more pitching depth than they know what to do with. Even with six starters on the Opening Day roster (Garrett Crochet, Gray, Suárez, Brayan Bello, Oviedo and top prospect Connelly Early), there is plenty of talent in the upper levels of the minor leagues and on the short-term injured list.
Boston's oft-disastrous infield defense has also been revamped. Durbin and Contreras are quality defenders who will stabilize the corners. Carlos Narváez showed throughout his rookie season that he's an anchor behind the plate. Marcelo Mayer has been praised for his athleticism and clean defense over his years as a top prospect — finally, he'll get the chance to flash his middle infield talents over a full season in the major leagues.
A little effort has turned the Red Sox into a team worth rooting for again
The Red Sox often have unfortunate luck with the injury bug, but they arrived to spring training largely healthy and have stayed that way into Opening Day. Besides injures to expected players, like Crawford, Sandoval, Tanner Houck and Triston Casas, Boston's injured list is quite bare.
The lone unexpected injury discovered in spring training could've been a massive loss for the Red Sox. Romy Gonzalez broke out for Boston last year, to the tune of a .305/.343/.483 and .826 OPS over 96 games. After Rob Refsnyder departed in free agency, Gonzalez is the Red Sox's No. 1 lefty killer after he racked up a .978 OPS against them last season.
Even the news of Gonzalez's injury and the surgery that followed wasn't the worst-case scenario. All he needed was what he called "a clean-up procedure" and not a season-ending surgery. The Red Sox placed him on the 60-day IL that will cause him to miss the first two months of the season, but even that is a relief compared to the other possible outcome.
Over the last two offseasons, the Red Sox front office has actually tried to string a successful team together (it didn't always succeed in that regard) in a stark change of pace from previous concerns about payroll and long-term commitments. Boston's return to the playoffs in 2025 has seemingly reinvigorated ownership's desire to win, which is what fans deserve after the last half-decade of nightmare trades, dishonesty about offseason plans and poor results.
The Red Sox's on-field outcomes seem to be affected by the good vibes. Players came to spring training with no drama after the Sox were the most active team on the trade market all winter, many of them in the cliché "best shape of their lives." The lack of injuries is pure luck, but it feels karmic, somehow — when the front office gives its best effort to make the Red Sox better, good things happen in return.
For the second time in as many seasons, the Red Sox are easier to root for than they've been in years. because of the front office's effort and the personalities in the clubhouse. Starting today, they have 162 games to make good on those vibes in a contentious AL East.