Boston’s season ended the same way it did a year ago: with the Yankees sending the Red Sox home.
And when it was over, president Sam Kennedy didn’t try to sugarcoat it.
"The way it ended Wednesday night in New York was painful and deeply disappointing to all of us," Kennedy said, according to Mass Live's Christopher Smith.
He added, "While we're proud of some of the things that happened and proud that we got to the postseason, we are definitely not satisfied. Our goal was to play deep into October and ultimately win a World Series. ... We obviously fell short of that goal."
That blunt assessment fit a Red Sox season that never settled into one clean rhythm. Boston fired Alex Cora and five members of his coaching staff in April, then caught fire in July with a 21-4 record that included a 15-game winning streak. The highs were real, but so were the rough stretches, and the postseason exit put the final stamp on an uneven year.
The roster did show strengths. The Red Sox were among baseball’s best in pitching and outfield defense in 2026.
But the offense never matched that level. Boston finished 23rd in runs and 26th in home runs, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said improving that side of the game will be a priority going forward.
"Our offense was inconsistent," Breslow said, according to Mass Live's Sean McAdam. "We got on base at a decent clip, but we didn't really slug, didn't hit a ton of home runs, and I'm not sure that we took advantage of the unique venue that we play in. So naturally, we're going to spend some time thinking about how we can improve our offense, particularly how we build a roster that can thrive at Fenway Park."
Willson Contreras, who led Boston in homers, RBIs, and slugging percentage after arriving in an offseason trade, was also frustrated by the lack of offense during the Yankees series. He criticized the front office for leaning too heavily on analytics this season and said he wanted the Red Sox to add more experience and veteran players.
In Other News...
Red Sox Still Have One Unsettled Infield Situation Heading Into 2027
Bostons end-of-season health check brought some clarity on a few important names, even if the bigger roster picture still has some unfinished business heading toward spring. Caleb Durbins pinkie issue remains without a clear diagnosis, and surgery is still on the table, while Garrett Crochet said he is fully healthy as he heads into the offseason after a careful recovery from a shoulder injury.
Curtis Mead, meanwhile, has been medically cleared and is in the mix for the starting second-base job when camp opens. For the Red Sox, that keeps one of the infields most watched questions in play heading into 2027, with Meads role still waiting to be defined even as the medical side of the conversation has started to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Gray Drama Could Change How Red Sox Fans View Him
Sonny Grays outing in Wild Card Game 2 against the Yankees is the kind of thing that can linger long after the final out, especially when the attention shifts from pitch mix to a closer look at the pitcher himself. He was taken out in the fifth inning by Chad Tracy, and the performance on its own was never the full story once fans started fixating on brown flecks on his neck and wondering if something was off.
MLB did investigate Gray over possible use of illegal substances, but he passed all in-game checks and was never officially disciplined. The leagues review ended without formal action, and nothing in his behavior or performance pointed to cheating, even if the speculation around him was loud enough to color how some fans remember the night. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Still Have One Roster Flaw They Can't Keep Ignoring
The Red Sox are heading into the offseason with a roster issue that has lingered long enough to shape how they approach everything else: they need more right-handed power. Recent trades have already been aimed at easing that problem, but the front office does not appear close to being done, especially with a winter ahead that could still reshape both the lineup and the organizational depth chart.
Andrew Goodman, Jarren Duran and prospects such as Franklin Arias are all part of the broader conversation as Boston weighs how aggressive it wants to be. Positional changes could also enter the mix, and there are at least some buy-low trade ideas floating around, including names like Adolis Garca and Juan Soto, which shows how wide the field could get before the Red Sox settle on a real answer to the imbalance in their lineup. [Read more 🡒]