Red Sox Eliminated from Playoffs by Rival Yankees, Concluding Roller Coaster Season

New season, same result. The Boston Red Sox were sent home for the winter by the rival New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series again this year, this time going home in two games rather than three after Wednesday's 9-2 decision at Yankee Stadium . The Red Sox were outscored 18-2 in the two-game sweep. They'll now head into the offseason trying, again, to figure out how to get over the Bronx hump.

Boston's regular season was disjointed. They started 10-17, which led to manager  Alex Cora's firing , and were 32-46 on the morning of June 25. A win over the Yankees that night spurred a 32-5 stretch during which the Red Sox outscored their opponents by 2.6 runs per game. They looked simply unbeatable -- like the best team in baseball and the team so many expected coming into 2026.

A cool-down period followed and the Red Sox went 23-24 in their final 47 games, including 7-10 in their last 17. Despite a very successful offseason that saw them add All-Stars Willson Contreras ,  Ranger Suárez  and likely Cy Young vote-getter Sonny Gray , the Red Sox ultimately took a step back this season.

Your record is your record:

2025 2026

W-L

89-73

87-75

Run differential

+110

+78

BaseRuns ( what's this? )

93-69

88-74

The 2027 Red Sox figure to look a lot like the 2026 Red Sox, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Assuming closer Aroldis Chapman passes his postseason physical to lock in his $13 million vesting option, Gray is Boston's only significant free agent. Roles must be sorted out -- is  Brayan Bello  a starter or reliever? -- but the core of the 2027 Red Sox is in place.

And again, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. But after back-to-back years with an upper-80s win total, it's fair to ask if this group has hit its ceiling and needs an overhaul to take a step forward. Perhaps "overhaul" is too strong a word, but changes involving longtime personnel could be in the cards. At minimum, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow should have few untouchables this winter.

How the Red Sox's roller-coaster 2026 season led to stability for Craig Breslow, Chad Tracy Julian McWilliams

Here now are three things the Red Sox must sort through this offseason.

1. What's up with Roman Anthony's hand?

Roman Anthony BOS • LF • #19

BA 0.245 R 24 HR 5 RBI 15 SB 2 View Profile

For all intents and purposes, this was a lost season for wunderkind Roman Anthony , who was a trendy MVP pick coming into 2026 and instead played only 55 games around a nagging right hand/wrist issue. It forced him out of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series after two at-bats and he was removed from the roster Wednesday afternoon. "Basically the same thing that happened early on in the year in addition to other strains in a  few muscles in other areas in the hand," Anthony said before Game 2. "So, to shorten it up, it's the same thing with more added on."

Anthony, 22, is Boston's most important player long-term. The game's erstwhile No. 1 prospect showed signs of stardom in 2025, and the Red Sox gave him an eight-year extension worth $130 million last August. They must take care of him now.

Does Anthony need surgery? How can they prevent a recurrence? Solving his nagging hand issue is a top priority this offseason.

2. How can they add more power?

Willson Contreras BOS • 1B • #40

BA 0.275 R 68 HR 27 RBI 81 SB 3 View Profile

This was a question last offseason and the Red Sox tried to address it with Contreras. He slugged a career-high 27 home runs. The Red Sox as a team finished with 163 home runs, though, fifth fewest in baseball and down quite a bit from last year's 186. Not coincidentally, Boston went from seventh in runs scored last year to 23rd this year.

There is more to life than home runs, but you do need them, especially in the postseason, when base hits and baserunners are at a premium. The Red Sox have a few reasons to believe they'll hit more home runs organically next season:

- Anthony will, hopefully, have a healthy hand and play a full season. He hit only five homers this year while missing time and playing through the hand injury, the kind of injury known to sap strength and power. - Adley Rutschman will be around all season. Boston's catchers hit 11 home runs this season and Rutschman hit five of them after coming over at the trade deadline . He's an enormous upgrade behind the plate. - Was Curtis Mead 's breakout real? Mead played only one game (two at-bats) with the Red Sox after coming over in a trade with the Washington Nationals thanks to an errant pitch that broke his wrist .

Beyond that, there is room for improvement on the roster. The Red Sox received a .236/.306/.367 batting line and +1.5 WAR from their second basemen. Perhaps that's where Mead settles in, but he's not much of a defender, and it might make sense to use him as the most-of-the-time DH. Breslow has to at least explore the second base market this offseason.

It also feels like time to move on from Jarren Duran , who might be a non-tender candidate after hitting .207/.266/.361 and playing close to replacement level (0.5 WAR). Duran did hit 20 home runs and steal 21 bases, which is not nothing, but he's looking at close to $10 million through arbitration. Do you really want to sink eight figures into a .266 on-base percentage?

Realistically, full seasons of Anthony, Mead, and Rutschman might be the biggest possible offensive upgrades Breslow can make this winter. Beyond them, there are paths to upgrading the outfield and second base (or DH, if Mead plays second), and the bottom line is the Red Sox have to hit the ball out of the park more often.

3. What is Sonny Gray's future?

Sonny Gray BOS • SP • #54

ERA 2.72 WHIP 1.15 IP 169 BB 46 K 149 View Profile

Not even Gray may know the answer to this right now. He's reportedly mulled retirement in the past and was noncommittal about his future before Game 1. "I'm going to take today for today, take tomorrow for tomorrow, and then go from there," Gray said when asked whether he would be open to returning to the Red Sox next year. It's a him thing, not a Red Sox thing.

Gray turns 37 in November and may decide it's time to be done with baseball and be a family man. Even without Gray, the Red Sox have the makings of a very strong rotation next season. Here are their starting pitchers under contract or team control in 2027:

- LHP Garrett Crochet (missed most of 2026 with shoulder issues) - LHP Payton Tolle - LHP Ranger Suárez - LHP Jake Bennett - RHP Brayan Bello - RHP Johan Oviedo (missed most of 2026 with elbow issues) - RHP Tanner Houck (returned from Tommy John surgery in Game 162) - RHP Jedixson Paez

That's an excellent 1-2-3 punch and a good 4-5, with some depth beyond them. Breslow has traded A LOT of pitching depth the last 10 months ( Connelly Early for Mead, Hunter Dobbins for Contreras, Richard Fitts for Gray, Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison for Caleb Durbin , etc.) but still has enough for a strong rotation even without Gray. It's impressive.

There is nothing wrong with adding to a strength, though, and if the Red Sox can bring Gray back to bump Bennett, Bello and others down a peg on the depth chart, it wouldn't be a bad idea. And if Gray doesn't return, that frees up $21 million in payroll the Red Sox can put back into the roster, and not necessarily into the rotation. They have the depth to stick with the status quo.

Boston does need to make a decision here. Do they want Gray back? If yes, they need his answer about continuing his career, preferably sooner rather than later. If not, then they can go about the rest of their offseason. Game 2 left a sour taste in everyone's mouth, but one game is not a good reason to blow up something that worked very well overall.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/whats-next-for-red-sox-playoff-elimination-roller-coaster/)._