Red Sox 2025 Roster Prediction: Much work remains to be done after Crochet trade

Red Sox 2025 roster prediction: There’s still a lot to do after Crochet Trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox finally made a big offseason splash last week when they acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster deal with the Chicago White Sox. The move gives Boston the ace it desperately needed, but question marks remain on the pitching staff and throughout the rest of the roster.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has stated that the club is still looking for rotation upgrades, right-handed bats and bullpen help. They could still fill that need via free agency, but we shouldn’t rule out another blockbuster trade that would shake up the projected Opening Day roster.

Until then, here is a Red Sox roster projection for early 2025, with many changes expected in the coming months:

Catcher (2)

1. Connor Wong

2. Carlos Narvaez

The Red Sox traded their No. 4 overall prospect, catcher Kyle Teel, to the Chicago White Sox in the deal that brought left-handed ace Garrett Crochet to Boston. Teel would have had a clear path to a big role alongside Connor Wong, but instead he’s the odd man out among the “core four” Sox prospects.

Shortly after the Crochet trade, the Red Sox acquired backstop Carlos Narvaez from the New York Yankees for right-handed pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Narvaez only has six games of MLB experience but is considered an above-average defensive catcher. He is poised to serve as Wong’s backup unless further moves are made to bring in a big league catcher this offseason.

First base (1)

1. Triston Casas

Triston Casas has been signed as the Boston Red Sox’ Opening Day first baseman until further notice. However, there’s a real chance he won’t be on the roster when Boston begins its season at Texas on March 27.

The 24-year-old slugger continues to be mentioned in trade rumors even as the new year approaches. He was reportedly brought up in trade talks with the Seattle Mariners, with Boston eyeing one of their starters early in the offseason.

These trade rumors, combined with talk of third baseman Rafael Devers potentially moving to first base, suggest Casas will feature a different lineup next season. For now, however, he is the Red Sox’s first baseman for 2025 and beyond.

Second base (2)

1. Vaughn Grissom

2. Kristian Campbell

Enmanuel Valdez led the Red Sox in starts at second base last season (56) but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday in exchange for right-hander Joe Vogatsky. This deal leaves rookies Vaughn Grissom, Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton (more on him in the shortstop section below) as the top candidates to start at second baseman in 2025.

Grissom, who turns 24 in January, was acquired from the Atlanta Braves last offseason in exchange for veteran left-hander Chris Sale. In hindsight, this deal looks like a fool’s errand since Sale won the National League Cy Young Award. However, Grissom has time on his side as he looks to develop into the player he was expected to be when he was rated as Atlanta’s top young prospect.

If Grissom can’t find his groove in 2025, breakthrough Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell could steal the starting spot at second base. Campbell, the second-ranked prospect in the system (via SoxProspects.com), was named the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year after starting the season at High-A Greenville and finishing it at Triple-A Worcester. He hit .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 77 RBI in 115 minor league games.

If he picks up where he left off, it will be difficult to leave Campbell off the 2025 Opening Day roster.

Shortstop (2)

1. Trevor story

2. David Hamilton

A healthy story could be game-changing for Boston, but at this point it’s a pipe dream. The 32-year-old has not been able to stay on the field since the Red Sox signed him in 2022.

Nonetheless, Story is under contract through 2027 and is all but locked in as Boston’s Opening Day shortstop. So what about the backup plan?

Speedy centerfielder David Hamilton played 62 games at shortstop in 2024. The Red Sox would probably prefer to have him come off the bench as a versatile defender and base-stealing threat, but he’s a viable option if Story fails. He could also take the second baseman job if neither Grissom nor Campbell are ready for the role.

Ceddanne Rafaela and top prospect Marcelo Mayer are also candidates for a stint at shortstop. Rafaela played 87 games in the outfield and 82 in shorts in 2024. Mayer was unable to play after being promoted to Triple-A due to a season-ending lumbar strain, so he will almost certainly start next season in Worcester with hopes of making the big league roster later in the campaign.

Third base (1)

1. Rafael Devers

It’s not something to think about much, but that will be the case if the offseason rumors linking the Red Sox to veteran third basemen Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado come true.

Bregman and Arenado would be massive defensive upgrades at third base, and acquiring either of them would likely result in Devers moving to first base (if Casas is traded) or being designated a hitter. However, until such a move is made, Devers will retain his role at the hot corner.

Outfield (4)

1. Jarren Duran

2. Ceddanne Rafaela

3. Wilyer Abreu

4. Rob Refsnyder

Tyler O’Neill is out of the game after signing with the Baltimore Orioles, but the Red Sox still have a logjam in the outfield.

Roman Anthony, the league’s No. 1 prospect, appears to be ready for the show. To make room for him on the roster, Boston could look to trade Wilyer Abreu or Jarren Duran in a package to start pitching. Merely adding Anthony to the mix would be unnecessary and would make the lineup even more left-handed biased.

Designated hitter (1)

1. Masataka Yoshida

In a perfect world, the Red Sox would send Yoshida to a team that would be willing to eat up some of his salary in a trade this offseason. That seems unlikely, however, as the 31-year-old has had an up-and-down season that ended with surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.

Yoshida will once again open the 2025 season as the team’s DH, but as a left-handed hitter who lacks power, he doesn’t fit well on the roster. Maybe Boston will switch Devers to DH or sign one of the top hitters still available on the free agent market.

If the latter, here are the top hitters still available in free agency:

• Teoscar Hernandez, OF

• Pete Alonso, 1B

• Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

• Christian Walker, 1B

• Alex Bregman, 3B

• Anthony Santander, OF

• Justin Turner, DH/1B

• Jurickson Profar, OF

• Gleyber Torres, 2B

• JD Martinez, DH

Starting pitchers (5)

1. Garrett Crochet, LHP

2. Brayan Bello, RHP

3. Tanner Houck, RHP

4. Lucas Giolito, RHP

5. Cutter Crawford, RHP

The addition of Crochet completely changes the look of Boston’s starting lineup and adds a real ace to the staff. Still, it couldn’t hurt to add another front-end starter to give the Red Sox a one-two punch with any rotation in the league can keep up.

Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford each gave the Red Sox more than 30 starts in 2024. Lucas Giolito is a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire season . This is a high-upside group, but the best course of action for Boston would be to sign another No. 1 or 2 starter or trade

Rotation depth options include Cooper Criswell, Michael Fulmer, Richard Fitts and Josh Winckowski.

Here are the most attractive starting pitching options still available on the free agent market:

• Corbin Burnes, RHP

• Walker Buehler, RHP

• Jack Flaherty, RHP

• Jose Quintana, LHP

• Sean Manaea, LHP

Relief jugs (8)

1. Liam Hendriks, RHP

2. Aroldis Chapman, LHP

3. Justin Slaten, RHP

4. Justin Wilson, LHP

5. Josh Winckowski, RHP

6. Zack Kelly, RHP

7. Greg Weissert, RHP

8. Richard Fitts, RHP

With veterans Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin heading in free agency, Breslow has made noticeable efforts to improve the bullpen this offseason by signing left-handed relievers Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson. It will be a formidable group if Liam Hendriks regains his 2022 form and Chapman can continue to fend off Father Time.

If the Red Sox continue to pursue bullpen upgrades, here are the top options still on the market:

• Jeff Hoffman, RHP

• Tanner Scott, LHP

• Joe Kelly, RHP

• Blake Treinen, RHP

• Kirby Yates, RHP

• Paul Sewald, RHP

• Carlos Estevez, RHP

• Scott Barlow, RHP

• Tanner Scott, LHP

• Jose Leclerc, RHP

• AJ Minter, LHP

Injury list

1. Garrett Whitlock, RHP (Tommy John Rehab)

2. Chris Murphy, LHP (Tommy John Rehab)