The Boston Red Sox were one of the most improved teams this offseason and it was a necessary leap for them to take. Boston plays in the loaded American League East with the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Yankees. The Blue Jays were aggressive at upgrading this offseason, just like the Red Sox. The Orioles have one of the best young teams in the league with multiple budding superstars. The Yankees are coming off a World Series berth in 2024 and arguably got better heading into 2025.
But the Red Sox took the necessary steps to upgrade the roster. They went out and acquired Garrett Crochet in a massive offseason trade before adding Walker Buehler to the rotation as well. But their offseason success was headlined by the massive signing of Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman.
With all the new faces coming to Boston, it's important to note the players that are likely entering their final season with the team. There are more than a handful of players who could be headed out of Boston as early as this season.
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3. RHP Lucas Giolito
When looking at the Red Sox roster and who they could cut ties with at the end of the 2025 season, there are a few names who jump off the stage. One of those names is starting pitcher Lucas Giolito.
Giolito is going to be a crucial part of the Red Sox's rotation this season, but that's only because of the injuries to Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford. Giolito is hurt as well as the two pitchers previously mentioned.
With the righty hitting free agency at the end of the year, the Red Sox will likely let him walk away in free agency rather than attempt to re-sign him. A player like Giolito will likely land a nice sized contract from a smaller market team who's willing to overspend to add a pitcher.
The Red Sox have a few top prospects including Richard Fitts, Quinn Preister, and Hunter Dobbins who will all be ready to crack the big leagues as regular rotation pieces in 2026. Pair this with the coming free agency class, and there is a very low chance the Red Sox will sign Giolito to a new deal or accept his team option.
2. RHP Liam Hendriks
Liam Hendriks came into the season in a competition for the closer role, but that's not a huge flex given the state of the Red Sox's bullpen. Boston doesn't have a shut down closer this season and Hendriks still failed to secure the role. Not only did he fall short of being named the closer, but he's also fighting another injury which brings the morale down quite a bit more.
The righty is on the final year of his contract and it's very unlikely the Red Sox would look to renew his deal given how his career in Boston has gone so far.
Now, there's a chance the Red Sox see Hendriks return to the mound in 2025 and pitch like his old self. If this happens, this whole idea changes and the Red Sox would be very lucky to have him back next year. But I find it quite unlikely that he returns to his former self, especially after suffering this recent injury set back.
1. DH Masataka Yoshida
One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was what the Red Sox were going to do with Bregman and third baseman Rafael Devers. Bregman is a natural third baseman, but so is Devers. The idea was Devers would move to the designated hitter role while Bregman took over at the hot corner. With this in mind, the Red Sox are noticeably running out of places to put their expensive DH Masataka Yoshida. What does this mean?
It likely means the Red Sox will continue to look to offload his massive contract by trading him to a different contender at some point this season.
There's a chance that Yoshida survives the year in Boston, but things could get pretty weird to keep him on the roster. Bregman is locked in at third base with top prospect Kristian Campbell playing second base. Devers will likely stick at the DH slot while rotating in the infield to get the starters some days off.
Yoshida would be a very expensive rotational piece, but it might be tough finding a trade partner with his massive contract. Still, a team like the Cincinnati Reds or Detroit Tigers may take a shot on him if the Red Sox eat a chunk of his contract.