The MLB offseason so far has been a mix of being busy, with free agent signings from Japan, but also slow, with big targets still available. Regarding the Boston Red Sox, they’ve been no short of busy this offseason, with 10 trades already being conducted, along with being linked to several free agents and trades. When looking over the general landscape of baseball, where do the Red Sox sit among the most improved teams this offseason? While they haven’t signed anyone from free agency yet, the Red Sox are viewed as one of the most improved teams, and the ranking could surprise some people.
Red Sox Among the Top 7 Most-Improved Teams
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In the recent offseason piece at The Athletic, Jim Bowden ranked the top seven most improved teams in MLB with their acquisitions so far. When it came to the Red Sox, Bowden ranked them higher than where most people thought they would be. He had the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers coming in seventh and sixth, with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays coming in first and third. Regarding the Red Sox, he has them ranked as the fifth-most improved team this offseason so far, heading into the first full week of January.
Bowden pointed out that the Red Sox were able to acquire RHP Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras, while giving up some promising prospects, but not their elite ones. Gray is viewed as a No. 2 starter behind ace Garrett Crochet, along with Contreras being the team’s everyday first baseman.
Furthermore, he looked at Boston acquiring Johan Oviedo for more prospects, along with trading for left-hander Jake Bennett, who is considered more MLB-ready. Overall, the rotation depth and the pitching staff are better than the 2025 version. Bowden finished his thoughts about the Red Sox, stating, “The Red Sox are not done making moves, as they remain in the running for [Alex] Bregman, [Bo] Bichette, and Eugenio Suárez, among others.”
With that said, if the Red Sox can re-sign Bregman or sign Bichette, could that vault them to the top three, maybe even the top two of most improved teams heading into 2026?
Adding Another Piece to the 2026 Roster
Most of the news surrounding Boston of late is whether they will bring back Bregman or make a move for Bichette. Over the last couple of weeks, they’ve been linked to trade for Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon brought up how the Red Sox are interested in the right-hander. However, Jen McCaffrey has also brought up, when talking to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, that bringing in another bat will be the main focus.
When it comes to the two position players that the team is linked to, The Athletic projects Bregman will sign for six years and $171 million. Bichette is also projected to sign for eight years and $212 million, according to The Athletic. If the Red Sox could sign either player, they could move themselves into the top three of the most improved teams in the MLB.
After that, it comes down to what position Marcelo Mayer will play for the Red Sox in 2026. If the Red Sox acquire a second baseman, he will most likely be their everyday third baseman. If they re-sign Bregman, Mayer will be the guy at second base. Whether or not they sign Bregman or Bichette, Boston needs to continue to build off their 2025 Postseason appearance and take a step in 2026.
At this point in the offseason, on January 5, it’s at least a good sign that the Red Sox are within the top seven, mainly the top five, of the most improved teams in baseball. However, they still have work to do if they want to compete in a stacked AL East in ’26.
Red Sox Viewed as One of the 7 Most Improved Offseason Teams