All indications are 2025 would be the begin of an prolonged run of rivalry for the Purple Sox. The workforce has construct a powerful younger core, led by outfielder Roman Anthony and AL Cy Younger runner-up Garrett Crochet, and so they have extra expertise on the best way and cash to spend. Boston’s Wild Card Sequence loss to the rival Yankees was a disappointment, however there may be each cause to imagine the Purple Sox will likely be within the postseason combine for the foreseeable future.

“Probably the most vital (lesson) is to remind ourselves there isn’t a assure we choose up the place we left off on the finish of 2025,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow stated final month. “Anticipating everybody to take a step ahead might trigger us to he complacent and fall flat.”

As gifted as they’re, the Purple Sox have a number of wants to handle this offseason and objectives they need to accomplish. They completed 2025 with a $246.1 million payroll for aggressive stability tax functions, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. That was seventh highest in baseball and a franchise report, although it is seemingly the Purple Sox have the capability to spend extra. Possession’s willingness to spend has been known as into query lately. Now’s pretty much as good as a time as any to spice up payroll.

What do the Purple Sox want this offseason? Who might they aim? Who might they transfer? Let’s dive into that now in our offseason preview for considered one of baseball’s high up-and-coming groups.

Wants

Breslow was good sufficient to put out his workforce’s wants and his offseason priorities on the GM Conferences in Las Vegas earlier this week. He desires a beginning pitcher, which makes him like each different lead baseball operations govt, and so as to add extra energy to a lineup that had solely two gamers hit 20 house runs in 2025. The Purple Sox completed fifteenth among the many 30 groups with 186 homers.

“In an ideal world, I’d suppose we might need to stability out the lineup (with a righty). That stated, I feel when you may hit the ball out of the park, it does not actually matter,” Breslow stated. “… There are a selection of various methods for us to enhance our slug, however I feel this concept that we will do extra harm on balls on play is actually an accurate one.”

Crochet and Brayan Bello are a powerful 1-2 punch and the Purple Sox have some thrilling younger arms behind them (Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison, Payton Tolle, and so on.), however a veteran innings man appears crucial. Ditto reinforcing the center of the bullpen. Additionally, the Purple Sox want a 3rd baseman with Alex Bregman once more a free agent and Rafael Devers having been traded away.

Attainable targets

Together with arbitration projections, the Purple Sox have roughly $210 million on the books for CBT functions going into 2026. Even when they solely return payroll to its 2025 stage, there’s cash to spend. They’re additionally wealthy in MLB-ready or near-ready younger gamers, giving them loads of commerce capital. To place it one other approach, the Purple Sox will be in on nearly anybody this offseason.

It simply labored, proper? Bregman had an incredible season with the Purple Sox and matches the roster and their wants very nicely. He brings plus third base protection to an infield that should enhance defensively. He is a righty who pulls the ball a ton, permitting him to wear down the Inexperienced Monster. Bregman can be postseason battle-tested and a frontrunner within the clubhouse, utilizing his expertise to assist his teammates. That is particularly helpful with a younger core. Bregman opted out of his contract and walked away from two years and $80 million. That doesn’t imply he desires to go away Boston. It was a enterprise determination and he desires to maximise his earnings. A protracted-term contract at a decrease annual wage could possibly be within the playing cards.

The Purple Sox had been among the many groups most closely concerned in Joe Ryan commerce talks on the deadline and there isn’t any cause to suppose they will not circle again with the Twins this offseason. Ryan, 29, has two years of low cost arbitration management remaining. He is in his prime and he isn’t a rental. In different phrases, he aligns completely with the remainder of Boston’s core. The Twins bought very onerous on the deadline and it stands to cause they’re going to re-engage groups about Ryan (and Pablo López) this winter. That is extra a query of whether or not the 2 groups can match up for a deal, not considered one of whether or not Ryan’s obtainable. 

There may be already hypothesis linking the Purple Sox to Pete Alonso, who would convey wanted right-handed energy and an answer at first base, the place Triston Casas has been unable to remain wholesome. (Alonso would even be a defensive improve over Casas, although that claims extra about Casas than Alonso.) The Purple Sox haven’t had a right-handed hitter hit 34 house runs since J.D. Martinez in 2019; Alonso’s hit at the least 34 in each 162-game season of his profession. As an added bonus, Alonso was not eligible for the qualifying supply this offseason. He isn’t hooked up to draft choose compensation. It could be a money-only free-agent signing.

Though he will not present the identical stage of protection as Bregman, Eugenio Suárez would convey far more righty energy, one thing the Purple Sox badly want. He would additionally come on a shorter time period contract given his age and simply the actual fact he isn’t as well-rounded. Suárez has quite a lot of swing and miss in his sport (his 196 strikeouts had been fourth most in baseball) and the Purple Sox normally lean towards contact-oriented hitters, although maybe they’re prepared to make an exception to get the game-changing energy. Like Alonso, Suárez was not eligible for the qualifying supply and isn’t tied to draft choose compensation.

The homecoming angle at all times will get overplayed in free company however Michael King, a New England native, matches the Purple Sox nicely on the sphere. He is a high-upside starter (see: 2024) who’s a lot accustomed to the AL East given his time with the Yankees, plus he is proven he will be very efficient in aid. That would come in useful come postseason time. King’s worth is down as a result of he missed time with shoulder and knee hassle in 2025, however, if his well being checks out, there could possibly be a chance to get a difference-making starter at a reduction. The homecoming could be a neat speaking level on high of the baseball match.

Attainable commerce chips

It is attending to be time for the Purple Sox to do one thing with all their outfielders, particularly with Kristian Campbell seemingly set to maneuver there full-time. Even with out Campbell, the Purple Sox have Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela, who’re going nowhere, plus Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Jhostynxon Garcia. Masataka Yoshida ties up the DH spot and buying and selling him to clear the logjam will likely be a problem, although maybe the BoSox will likely be prepared to eat cash to make it occur.

Clearly although, the Purple Sox have the potential to commerce an outfielder for speedy MLB assist. Abreu and Duran are probably the most logical commerce candidates and there was curiosity in each over the past 12-18 months, particularly Duran. Possibly buying and selling Abreu or Duran wouldn’t qualify as a real blockbuster, however Boston is in place to make a big MLB player-for-MLB participant commerce this winter. Abreu or Duran for a controllable third baseman or beginning pitcher positively appears attainable.

The Purple Sox even have some younger arms who would curiosity different groups, together with Early, Tolle, and David Sandlin. Richard Fitts would slot into various rotations as nicely. Infielder Mikey Romero, Boston’s first-round choose in 2022, could be extra helpful to the franchise as a commerce chip than as a roster participant. The outfield is the massive one although. The Purple Sox have extra outfielders than roster spots and buying and selling an outfielder to enhance one other a part of the roster must be on the desk.