The Boston Red Sox are back.
Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Fort Myers, Fla. for spring training on Feb. 12. Full-squad workouts will begin Feb. 17, and Boston's annual spring training opener against Northeastern University at JetBlue Park is scheduled for Feb. 21.
Although the Red Sox have disappointed in recent seasons, plenty of intriguing storylines surround the squad heading into the 2025 campaign. The starting pitching should take a significant step forward with Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and Lucas Giolito in the mix. We should also see the start of the youth movement in Boston with top prospects Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer ready to make an impact.
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Will this be enough to propel the Red Sox to their first postseason berth since 2021?
Our three-person NBC Sports Boston panel will cover these topics and more over the next couple of weeks in our "Spring Storylines" series, which will include several predictions for the upcoming Red Sox season.
More "Spring Storylines"
- Red Sox' biggest key to a playoff berth
- Who will be Red Sox' breakout star in 2025?
- Who will be Red Sox' MVP and Cy Young?
For our first installment, we kept it simple: What record will Boston finish with in the 2025 regular season? Here are the answers:
(Note: This post was published before the Red Sox signed All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year contract)
Justin Leger: 86-76
The Red Sox have defined "mediocre" since their surprise 2021 playoff run. Their 78-win campaigns in 2022 and 2023 resulted in last-place finishes in the American League East. Last season, they went 81-81 but still missed the postseason as the third-place team in the competitive division.
While they didn't do enough in the offseason to contend for a division crown, their improved starting rotation should at least put them in the wild-card conversation if it can avoid the injury bug.
I believe this could be a 90-win team if top prospects Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer live up to the hype, but they're bound to experience growing pains in their first big-league stint.
Nick Goss: 88-74
The Red Sox' record improves on the strength of better pitching and improved defense. But this team still doesn't have enough to contend for an AL East crown.
This record would have been good enough to earn a wild-card berth in 2024, and it will be in 2025, too.
Darren Hartwell: 85-77
While the Red Sox had an underwhelming offseason relative to expectations, they are a better team on paper than last year's 81-81 club. Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler should bolster a sneaky good rotation, and Boston again should have a top-10 offense after ranking ninth in runs scored last season.
But the Red Sox are putting a lot of eggs in their prospect basket and still have a shaky bullpen, so it's hard to project them any higher than a fringe playoff team.
