Why the Boston Red Sox will win the AL East

It’s November 2024. The Boston Red Sox are a month removed from finishing the season exactly .500 at 81-81. They missed the postseason for the third consecutive year.

In a division with the American League champion New York Yankees, as well as a Baltimore Orioles team that made it to the AL Wild Card series, many wondered where Boston could fit in. Most importantly, many wondered how they could improve with the Yankees and Orioles always getting better.

President of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow, entering his 2nd offseason at the helm, had a plan and wasted no time getting things going. He started things off by signing manager Alex Cora to a three-year contract extension. Cora was the team’s skipper in 2018 and 2019 and from 2021 to present day.

Then, they pulled off arguably the biggest trade of the offseason, sending prospects Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez to the Chicago White Sox for starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. Crochet, still under team control for two more seasons, broke out in 2024 and was an All-Star in Chicago.

Boston made some other impact additions in free agency. They signed relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman and starting pitcher Walker Buehler to one-year contracts. Both players have World Series-winning experience; Chapman won it all with the Texas Rangers in 2023 and Buehler did so with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.

Their biggest free agency splash? Bringing in third baseman Alex Bregman from the Houston Astros. Boston signed Bregman to a three-year contract worth $40 million per season. A two-time champ during his time in Houston, Bregman has the ability to opt out of his contract after each of the first two years.

These moves have turned Boston from a Postseason contender to a World Series contender in a matter of months. The aforementioned Bregman joins stars like Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran in the lineup. Other key players include Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story.

Their rotation ranks in the top half of the league as well. Buehler and Crochet join a group boasting plenty of talent in Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello.

Chapman will form a nice late-inning duo with Liam Hendriks, giving Boston two accomplished options for closer. Brennan Bernardino, Cooper Criswell, Richard Fitts and Justin Slaten are all great depth options for the Red Sox.

One important note is that right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito will miss the start of the season due to injury.

Whether you think Boston will win the division or not, this team is without a doubt one that shouldn’t be slept on. With Opening Day approaching, we’ll see how they stack up in the AL East very soon.

Adam Pietrzak is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email app5940@psu.edu.