The Boston Red Sox thought Kristian Campbell would be a future star, and they gave him the contract to prove it.
Instead, they’re still on the hook for $55 million, and it’s not clear what role Campbell might play in their future.
The offseason has arrived at the end of the 2026 MLB season, with the Milwaukee Brewers having topped the Tampa Bay Rays in five games to claim their first-ever championship — and with it, all the tough decisions teams were putting off until the Fall Classic was over are here now, too.
The Red Sox, for example, are facing a 40-man roster crunch. They have too many players warranting a 40-man spot and not enough place to put them.
That means they have to decide who to risk losing to another team.
Campbell, for one specific reason, might be one of the guys they risk.
Why Red Sox Would DFA Kristian Campbell
The Red Sox would have to designate Campbell for assignment to remove him from the 40-man roster, and often, that can be risky business.
To successfully remove a player from the 40 via DFA, the player has to pass through waivers. Any other team can claim him.
Campbell, though, is an interesting case — because a team claiming him would be getting his contract, too, and be signing up for paying him $55 million.
If the Red Sox get him through waivers, they can keep Campbell at Triple-A without him taking up a 40 spot.
Basically, you risk any team claiming him and taking on $55M, which is not impossible but certainly unlikely. If he clears, he’s on the Worcester roster, won’t burn an option to be there, can be called up at any time and making the same $.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) October 29, 2026
Re: DFA’ing Campbell by Monday for roster space…this is a really interesting take/idea.
You can DFA him and he either gets claimed and you get off the contract, or he goes unclaimed and you can force him to AAA off the 40-man roster (call outrighting) without losing him.
— Red Sox Payroll (@redsoxpayroll) October 29, 2026
The Red Sox have until Monday to get the 40-man roster in order, so it’s in that time span that Boston fans will know one way or the other what happens to Campbell next.
Claiming Risk
There’s one aspect of this offseason that could add risk to Campbell getting traded: a salary floor.
While players don’t want a cap and floor in CBA negotiations, it’s always possible they come into existence. And if a salary floor comes into play, a bunch of small-market teams are going to have to add salary to get there.
That could make claiming Campbell look more appealing, because he’s a young player with potential who would eat up some cap space
If the Red Sox waive Campbell now, of course, teams won’t know the outcome of the offseason negotiations — so it would all be anticipatory. Most likely, Campbell would make it through waivers, but the Red Sox still have to decide whether they’re going to risk it.
Red Sox Face Risky Kristian Campbell Decision