If you live in the Boston area and listen to sports talk radio, follow local pundits, or generally follow the Boston Red Sox, you’d think the team had a horrible offseason because they didn’t re-sign Alex Bregman. It’s been the talk of the town for weeks.
But if you take the sum of the Red Sox moves this offseason, you’ll see that it was actually a pretty great few months for the team.
So great in fact, that MLB insider David Schoenfield gave Boston an “A” grade for its offseason, one of three teams he awarded a top grade.
Importantly, Breslow kept the young core intact, not only all the outfielders, but two top-100 pitching prospects in Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, who made their major league debuts late in 2025 and should impact the rotation at some point in 2026,” Schoenfield wrote. “The Red Sox have improved their flexibility and depth in the infield while also improving their balance against left-handed pitching.”
Schoenfield’s biggest takeaway was that Boston was able to keep its young core of players together as they acquired more veteran players like Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Willson Contreras.
Key Additions For Red Sox This Offseason
The acquisitions of Gray and Suárez to go alongside Garrett Crochet make Boston’s top three pitchers among the best in the league. If some combination of Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Johan Oviedo, Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early, or Payton Tolle make an impact in the No. 4 and No. 5 slots, Boston could easily have the best rotation in the MLB.
Where the rotation underwent a clear upgrade from last season, the lineup and fielding improvements are at worst a net-even from last season, though my money is on it being even better than 2025.
The only impact loss in the lineup is Alex Bregman, and yes, it is a big loss. But the lineup gets a close to as effective hitter in Willson Contreras to take that middle of the order spot, and the field remains just as strong with the addition of Caleb Durbin.
How Boston Upgraded Without Selling Future
To properly evaluate this offseason, if you’re a Red Sox fan, I would look less at what Boston gained, and more at how little they had to give up to make the improvements they did.
To acquire Contreras, who is a big time, proven MLB bat, all Boston gave up was Hunter Dobbins and two prospects who weren’t anywhere near the top of their rankings. Dobbins is a decent young arm, but by signing Suárez and developing Tolle and Early, you negated the need for him and sold from an area of abundance.
The same point can be made for the acquisition of Sonny Gray. Boston gave up pitchers Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke; once again, good young arms, but Gray upgrades the rotation now and the top prospects upgrade it in the future.
Could the Sox have made bigger splashes by signing Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, or Kyle Tucker? Sure. But Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow is being forced to work with what he’s given from ownership, which is a directive to improve without spending oodles of money.
That’s exactly what Breslow did.
Red Sox Given Shocking Offseason Grade From ESPN