The Red Sox Had a Good Offseason But Can’t Win Games
So many of Boston's offseason additions are thriving, yet the Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in the American League.
| | 
One of the great mysteries of the first third of the 2026 MLB season is the prolonged struggles of the Boston Red Sox.
Through the team’s first 59 games, they’re 25-34 and sit last in the American League East. This comes one year after from their first postseason berth since 2021.
There were question marks surrounding their lineup, particularly replacing the production lost by third baseman Alex Bregman‘s departure. However, the offseason acquisition of first baseman Willson Contreras has more than offset that.
Ace left-hander Garrett Crochet hasn’t pitched since the last week of April, but the offseason acquisitions of veterans Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez have kept Boston’s staff afloat.
Therein lies the issue. The major offseason pickups made by third-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow have worked out. Contreras, Suárez, and Gray have a combined 4.2 fWAR. The veteran first baseman has been especially productive, with a 142 wRC+ in 262 plate appearances entering Wednesday.
Yet, the Red Sox are nine games under .500 and have already fired several coaching mainstays, including longtime — save for 2020 — manager Alex Cora. Things have improved under interim manager Chad Tracy, called up from Triple-A Worcester, but 15-17 is hardly anything to write home about.
Saving them is the incredibly weak start to the league year for the AL, as Boston remains just four games back of the final Wild Card spot. With two months left before the trade deadline, there’s a lot of baseball left for the Red Sox. Until then, no decisions are necessary regarding buying or selling.
Front Office Ramifications
There’s no hiding the fact that Breslow isn’t a popular man in Boston right now. It started when he and co. failed to deliver on ownership’s “full throttle” offseason in his inaugural winter. Then, he traded longtime franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in year two.
He got out from under Devers’ contract, but right-handed pitching prospect Jose Bello is the lone remaining player from that return. Moreover, the Red Sox managed a postseason berth in 2025, testing the mantra that winning fixes everything.
That trade still isn’t popular within Red Sox fan circles, but there was an open mind heading into this past offseason. Overall, the players he brought in have largely succeeded. Even the exception, third baseman Caleb Durbin, has eight defensive runs saved this year and has had some recent success at the plate.
But Breslow’s fate precedes him. Since 2015, the Red Sox have had four lead executives. Ben Cherington and Dave Dombrowski each brought a World Series to Boston, yet didn’t see the end of their first contracts. Chaim Bloom got fired late into his fourth season at the helm, despite taking them to the ALCS a year after trading Mookie Betts.
If there’s one consistent pattern in Fenway Sports Group’s actions, it’s a willingness to change course in lead executives. The last one to run the show for more than five years, Theo Epstein, is now part of that group. Epstein advocated for Breslow to get the job, but even recently, there’s reported frustration with his protégée’s performance.
There’s a lot of pressure on Breslow to right the ship, as it’s no given he’ll get 2027 to redeem himself.
That said, why is this team struggling so much?
Good Players Not Playing Well
There were many questions surrounding the Red Sox lineup coming into 2026. After whiffing on free agent All-Stars Pete Alonso, Eugenio Suárez, and the aforementioned Bregman, there wasn’t much certainty of production in Boston.
Roman Anthony had a great rookie season, but could he improve enough in his sophomore season to anchor a lackluster lineup? Jarren Duran is a very good player, but is he 2024 elite, or just 2025 good? Trevor Story will provide slug, but how will his hit tool hold up after a comeback 2025?
All three of those guys got off to poor starts. Anthony has dealt with injuries, limiting him to just 30 games, only yielding a 93 wRC+ with one home run. Duran has 10 homers, but he ended play on May 15 with a 44 wRC+ across 168 plate appearances. He’s been red-hot since, but the overall numbers remain poor.
Then there’s Story, who played through a lingering groin injury that eventually caused him to have sports hernia surgery. Before going down, he was slashing .206/.244/.303 with three homers.
It’s not just that players on the margins have held the Red Sox back. It’s largely been players rightfully expected to bear a lot of responsibility. Contreras, along with Wilyer Abreu, came out of the gates strong and has stayed the course. But there was a lot of expected production that came up short to open the year.
That’s without mentioning Durbin. Though not expected to anchor the offense, the Red Sox hoped for more than the worst qualified hitter in baseball to this point. Even if he played to a 90 wRC+, the Red Sox would be several wins better.
Woes With Runners in Scoring Position
It’s gotten better of late, but Boston enters play on Wednesday as the fifth-worst offense with runners in scoring position.
Being a bottom-five offense with runners in scoring position, whilst ranking 14th in total plate appearances in such situations, is a recipe for not scoring. Proof of concept, the Red Sox are 27th in runs scored.
They’re much more middle-of-the-pack with the bases empty. They have hit .253 with a .326 on-base in such situations. That’s not significantly higher than their runners in scoring position numbers, but relative to league average, it’s 10 percent better.
A major reason for the runners in scoring position woes stems from key contributors coming up small. Abreu has a .226 average and a 77 wRC+, Story hit .227 with a 60 wRC+, and Anthony had a 53 wRC+ in such situations before injury.
Duran, Contreras, and Durbin all have been up to snuff, but those are three heavy hitters coming up short.
The Red Sox have already fired hitting coach Pete Fatse. How likely is it that they can turn their offense around?
Recent Trends Are Promising
Since May 15, order has been restored to the Red Sox lineup. They’ve adopted almost a “ride the hot hand” mentality. One stretch heavily featured catcher and first baseman Mickey Gasper, one featured utility man Nick Sogard, and the latest utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
During this stretch, the Red Sox are 7% better than league average with a 107 wRC+. They’re second in team batting average at .273, ninth in on-base, and eighth in slugging, yet 19th in runs scored.
They’ve become more threatening at the plate – it just hasn’t quite led to runs yet. However, they scored 18 combined in their final two games of May. Duran and Contreras have carried the bulk of the production since mid-May, combining for 19 runs and 25 runs batted in. But the whole team is putting together competitive at-bats and putting pressure on opposing starters early.
A lot of work must be done for the Red Sox to dig themselves out of the early-season hole they created. It wouldn’t be easy anyway, and it’s even harder with Crochet and Anthony missing extended stretches of play. Yet, as long as Boston continues to tread water, maybe gaining a little ground in the playoff race, the Red Sox should be in a good spot when those two return.
The pressure is on the higher-ups in the organization to salvage 2026. Only time will tell if they can — but it’s not too late.
Become a Member of Just Baseball
Subscribe and upgrade to go ad-free!
* Save 25% by subscribing annually.
Written by