Boston Red Sox
First prediction: Garrett Crochet wins the Cy Young Award.
Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet delivers in the first inning of a spring training game. Gerald Herbert/AP Photo
March 12, 2026 | 6:23 AM
5 minutes to read
Baseball season is quickly approaching, with Opening Day for the Red Sox set for Thursday, March 26, in Cincinnati.
Boston has much of the same core back, with some promising new players as well, and it could be a season to remember at Fenway Park.
With that in mind, here are 10 predictions that are guaranteed to all be right.
Garrett Crochet has the energy of someone who has seen it all, but in reality, he’s only 26 and is theoretically in the early stages of his prime.
Last year was magical, as he posted an 18-5 record, 2.59 ERA, and finished second in Cy Young voting behind Tarik Skubal. That was only his second full season as a starter, and it was a pretty darn impressive Boston debut.
Crochet dominates again in 2026, and this year, he wins the award.
Offensively, last year was a bounce-back season for Trevor Story, as he hit .263 with 25 homers and 96 RBIs, delivered plenty of timely hits, and was a remarkably consistent base stealer.
At shortstop, however, he struggled in spurts and found himself searching for the consistency that was a staple of his game early in his career. Two factors to note here: First off, playing shortstop every day is hard, and even the best fielders make errors. Also, Story only played 26 games at shortstop in 2024 due to a shoulder injury.
With that said, he committed a career-high 19 errors last year, which was tied for the third most in the majors. His fielding percentage dipped to the second lowest of his career at .970. It’s a small jump, but it’s a significant one he’s going to make to fully return to form.
This isn’t exactly a bold prediction, but it’s worth noting that the Red Sox have assembled an outfield that should be among the best in Major League Baseball.
If anything, they have a surplus of strong outfielders (a good problem to have), with Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida all in the mix. Abreu, Rafaela, and Duran are excellent defensively, and all five are dependable hitters.
The star power is key, but the depth may be even more important, as manager Alex Cora can pick and choose based on matchups and past success against given pitchers. The outfield is already great, and it takes the next step this year to become truly elite.
Drake Maye, meet Roman Anthony. Maye showed promise in year one before blossoming into a true superstar in year two. Anthony has an excellent chance to follow a similar trajectory.
It’s easy to forget that the kid is just 21, and as much as he’s accomplished already, he’s really just getting started. Anthony hit .292 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in 71 games last year, drawing 40 walks and showing expert discipline at the plate.
Sometimes Bostonians expect too much out of young players, but the tough love is because they know deep down they can handle it. It’s fair to expect Anthony to be one of the faces of the league by the end of the season.
The Red Sox kept pace with the Yankees in many ways during last year’s Wild Card series, but the one major ingredient missing was a home-run hitter in the heart of the order. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez aren’t going to magically reappear, but it would have benefitted the organization to add someone with legitimate pop.
Story (25), Abreu (22), and Duran (16) all hit a decent number of homers last year, but it was just the second time since 2018 that Boston didn’t have anyone reach 30-plus. The Red Sox finished fourth in the majors in batting average (.254) and first in doubles (324), yet ended up 15th in home runs (186).
Newly acquired first baseman Willson Contreras has hit 20-plus in each of his last four seasons with 100-plus games, but he’s never reached 25 in his career. Caleb Durbin totaled 11 last year with the Brewers, and infielders Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa don’t offer much in that department, either.
Boston loves to get behind a scrappy, plucky underdog who plays bigger than his size and has a whole lot of heart. It happened with Dustin Pedroia, Isaiah Thomas, and Wes Welker, among others, and it could happen here with Durbin.
He has a long way to go to reach the status of those local legends, but the 5-foot-6-inch Durbin has all the necessary tools to become a reliable and gritty every-day third baseman. Durbin has a compact and precise swing, a cannon for an arm, and a knack for making hustle plays.
There may be some ups and downs, but he develops into a fan favorite and emerges as one of the team’s better players.
Brayan Bello turned a corner last year, lowering his ERA from 4.49 in 2024 to 3.35 in 2025. He logged a career-high 166.2 innings, allowed just 16 home runs, and posted a career-low WHIP of 1.236.
The next steps for Bello are to up his strikeout numbers (124 last year) and go deeper into games. He’s fully capable, and trading tips with newcomers Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Johan Oviedo will only help.
Bello takes another major leap and earns his first All-Star nod.
At age 38, Aroldis Chapman is still one of the most dominant and overpowering closers in all of baseball. When he’s on the mound trying to secure a save, it’s fair to expect a Red Sox win every time.
Chapman was, quite honestly, superhuman last year. His 1.17 ERA and 5.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio were just absurd. This year, he continues to stabilize the Red Sox, but he takes a slight step back. If he dominates the same way again, kudos to him, but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to replicate his unbelievable success to that level.
As a whole, the bullpen struggles in spurts and isn’t as consistent as the lineup or rotation this year. While Garrett Whitlock is steady again, others have some moments they would like back.
Marcelo Mayer has an excellent chance to emerge as the team’s primary second baseman. He seizes the opportunity, and displays his potential in spurts, but has trouble sustaining it for long stretches.
He has some brilliant moments and some tough ones along the way and proves he belongs but still has room to grow. Ultimately, it’s a mixed bag and he faces the same questions entering next year.
The Red Sox are a better team than they were last year. They bolstered their rotation, trusted their young talent, and added some proven veterans to round out the roster.
They increase their win total from 89 to 92 (their most since 2021), advance in the playoffs, then lose to a better team in the ALDS. The season leaves fans optimistic and genuinely excited about the future, yet disappointed short term because it was right there for the taking.
Trevor Hass is a sports producer for Boston.com, where he writes and edits stories about Boston’s professional teams, among other tasks.
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