Boston Red Sox
Boston has made a number of high-profile moves for better and worse over the seven seasons since its last World Series.
There are plenty of former Red Sox still thriving for their current franchises. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
COMMENTARY
The Red Sox have made plenty of high-profile roster decisions over the last seven years, from shocking trades to allowing notable players to hit free agency and leave the team.
Not all moves have been bad, and Boston has its fair share of notable acquisitions as well; its trade for ace Garrett Crochet comes to mind.
But as the Red Sox continue to struggle in 2026, all of their front office blunders are even more glaring. “Section 10” and NESN personality Jared Carrabis pointed out earlier in the week that five former starting pitchers for the Red Sox have a combined sub.-3.00 ERA this season.
I’m looking at a random grouping of starting pitchers. Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Kyle Harrison, Michael Wacha, and Nathan Eovaldi have combined for a 2.74 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 39 starts this year, averaging six innings per start. #random
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) May 13, 2026
Which got us thinking, just how much greener could the grass have been on the other side of major front office decisions? Could a team constructed only of former Red Sox players be more competitive than the current 2026 Red Sox?
Of course, there are some obvious caveats: all front office moves build on each other, so even if Boston wanted to, retaining every single player in this theoretical lineup would be essentially impossible.
Additionally, some of the Red Sox current assets would not be on the team if some of these moves hadn’t been made. Boston couldn’t have acquired Crochet, for example, without giving up a top prospect in Kyle Teel.
With that being said, here’s what a team of former Red Sox would look like in 2026:
Starting lineup
- CF Mookie Betts (.171)
- 2B Alex Bregman (.246)
- DH Kyle Schwarber (.226)
- 3B Rafael Devers (.247)
- RF Tyler O’Neill (.177)
- 1B Dominic Smith (.353)
- C Kyle Teel (injured)
- SS Xander Bogaerts (.257)
- LF Rob Refsnyder (.132)
Starting pitchers
- Chris Sale
- Nathan Eovaldi
- Kyle Harrison
- Eduardo Rodriguez
- Michael Wacha
Bullpen
- Nick Pivetta
- Hunter Dobbins
- Brennan Bernadino
- Matt Strahm
- Kenley Jansen (closer)
This lineup certainly has its share of holes, and in fairness, the outfield is not nearly as strong as Boston’s current group of Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, and Ceddanne Rafaela when healthy.
But the chance to have so much offensive balance in the lineup is certainly something Red Sox fans would salivate at after watching their team attempt to generate runs in 2026.
Schwarber currently leads MLB in home runs (18), including a pair of bombs against Boston this past week. He was available in free agency this offseason, too, had Boston made a serious move to reunite with him. Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts were two of the most beloved members of the Red Sox 2018 World Series team, and are still producing almost eight years later for their respective franchises.
Kyle Teel hasn’t made his 2026 debut yet, but he is a far better catching option than either Connor Wong or Carlos Narvaez. And Dominic Smith has been a surprise breakout star, batting over .350 as of May 15.
Add for everything that was made about the Red Sox starting rotation being among the league’s best heading into 2026, there are currently seven starting pitchers in the MLB who played for Boston in the past who would be second or third options on the team based on ERA.
Sale had a career resurgence in Atlanta. Harrison was hardly given an opportunity in Boston before being shipped away to acquire Caleb Durbin (yes, that Caleb Durbin). And even Pivetta and Dobbins, who projected into the bullpen in this theoretical lineup, would be strong offerings for the 2026 Red Sox.
It’s hard not to wonder what this season would look like if Boston could have kept even four or five of these former stars along with its current crop of talent.
Replacing Durbin with either Bregman or Devers would be an upgrade. Making Schwarber the full-time DH would go a long way, too. And both Bogaerts and Betts would have been great Red Sox lifers had the front office made the commitment to keeping them.
So, the grass isn’t always greener. But seeing just how many former Red Sox are flourishing is a harsh reminder that Boston should be far more competitive in 2026 than it is currently.
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