If you’ve been following the Boston Red Sox rumors 2025 cycle, you know it's basically been a fever dream. One minute we’re watching Rafael Devers get shipped to San Francisco in a June salary dump—a move that still feels like a gut punch—and the next, we’re trying to figure out how a team with “too many infielders” suddenly has a massive hole at third base.
The winter of 2025-2026 was supposed to be about stability. Instead, Craig Breslow has turned the roster into a high-stakes game of Tetris. We just saw Alex Bregman, the guy who was supposed to stabilize the post-Devers era, walk away after a single injury-shortened season to sign a $175 million deal with the Cubs. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mess. But if you look closely at the moves made this January, there’s a very specific, pitching-heavy logic at play.
The Ranger Suárez Splash and the Rotation Logjam
The biggest news right now is the five-year, $130 million deal for Ranger Suárez. It’s the first real "big spend" of the 2026 offseason for Boston. Signing a 30-year-old lefty who just put up a 3.20 ERA and 151 strikeouts for the Phillies is a massive win, but it creates a weird secondary problem.
Boston now has way too many starters.
Think about it. You’ve got Garrett Crochet at the top, followed by the newly acquired Sonny Gray and now Suárez. Then there’s Brayan Bello, who just had a career year, and Johan Oviedo, who they just traded for. When you add in Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, and Patrick Sandoval, the math doesn't work. You can’t put eight guys in a five-man rotation.
📖 Related: Why the March Madness 2022 Bracket Still Haunts Your Sports Betting Group Chat
This is why the red sox rumors 2025 and early 2026 are pivoting so hard toward trades. Breslow has built a "pitching factory," but now he has to sell some of the inventory to fix the lineup. Industry insiders like Anthony Franco are already suggesting that the Sox are dangling rotation pieces to find a right-handed bat.
Who is Actually Playing Third Base?
With Bregman gone, the hot corner is a question mark. The current internal plan, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, involves moving Marcelo Mayer to third base. Trevor Story opted into the final two years of his deal ($50 million), and the team seems committed to keeping him at shortstop because of his leadership.
Mayer at third is... interesting. He’s the future, but his rookie year was marred by injury and he only played 44 games. Is he ready to be the everyday guy on the left side of the diamond?
If the Sox don't trust the youth movement entirely, the trade market is where things get spicy. Names like Isaac Paredes from Houston and Alec Bohm from Philly are floating around. There's even talk about a "re-pivot" to Ketel Marte, though the Diamondbacks have been stingy about moving him. The price for Marte would likely be Jarren Duran or a top-tier arm, and that’s a tough pill for Red Sox fans to swallow after Duran’s recent All-Star trajectory.
👉 See also: Mizzou 2024 Football Schedule: What Most People Get Wrong
The Infield Shortlist (The Rumor Mill Targets)
- Isaac Paredes (Astros): Houston has an infield glut. He’s the most logical "fit" for the Fenway pull-hitter profile.
- Eugenio Suárez (Free Agent): He just hit 49 homers between Arizona and Seattle. He’s a bridge option if Mayer needs more time.
- Nico Hoerner (Cubs): This one is a long shot, but since the Cubs took Bregman, maybe they’d part with Hoerner for a starter like Kutter Crawford?
- Brendan Donovan (Cardinals): Versatile, high OBP, but might be too similar to the guys Boston already has.
The Willson Contreras Factor
Lost in the shuffle of the New Year was the trade for Willson Contreras. It cost the Sox a package of young arms—Hunter Dobbins, Blake Aita, and Yhoiker Fajardo—to get him from St. Louis.
Contreras is 34. He’s not a long-term solution, but he provides the veteran "thumper" presence the lineup lost when Tyler O'Neill walked in free agency. Expect to see him split time between first base, DH, and occasionally catching, though Connor Wong is still the primary man behind the plate.
It's a "win-now" move for a team that finished 89-73 in 2025. That record was good enough for third in the AL East and a Wild Card berth, but they got bounced by the Yankees in three games. The front office knows that "almost good" doesn't sell tickets in Boston.
What’s Next for the Roster?
The next few weeks before Spring Training will be wild. Here is the reality: The Red Sox have the assets to make a blockbuster. They have the pitching depth to move a guy like Tanner Houck or Kutter Crawford, and they have the prospect capital (Roman Anthony is virtually untouchable, but others aren't).
✨ Don't miss: Current Score of the Steelers Game: Why the 30-6 Texans Blowout Changed Everything
If you’re looking for actionable insights on where this team is going, watch the trade market for starting pitching. If Kutter Crawford’s name starts appearing in "serious talks," it means a star infielder is coming back the other way.
Priority Next Steps:
- Monitor the Houston/Paredes Situation: This is the most realistic fix for the hole Bregman left.
- Watch the 40-Man Roster Crunch: With 23 pitchers currently on the 40-man, a "2-for-1" or "3-for-1" trade is inevitable to make room for non-roster invitees like T.J. Sikkema or Devin Sweet.
- Check Marcelo Mayer’s Health: If he shows up to Fort Myers with any lingering issues from his 2025 injury, the pressure to sign a veteran like Eugenio Suárez will triple.
The 2025 season showed us that the Red Sox are close. They have the "Big Three" prospects in the big leagues now—Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer. But you can't win the AL East with just prospects and a bunch of number-three starters. You need a hammer. Whether that hammer comes via a trade for a superstar or a late-winter free-agent signing is the only question left.