The Boston Red Sox are ready to go for the 2025 campaign after enjoying a fairly busy offseason for the time in a couple of years. However, some of the moves made over the past few months created some drama for the team and their manager, Alex Cora, to sort out during spring training. And while the team’s initial 26-man roster still isn’t officially set in stone, we are beginning to have an idea on who will be with the team for Opening Day.
There was a lot of competition in Fort Myers, Florida at the Red Sox camp. Several spots in their bullpen were still open, and even with the start of the regular season right around the corner, Cora has refused to declare who will start the season in the majors. Elsewhere, the starting rotation needed to be sorted out, while all eyes were on Boston’s trio of superstar prospects (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer) when it came to the lineup.
Questions still need to be answered, but for the time being, many of the top roster decisions that Cora needed to be made, or the writing is on the wall at the very least. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the three most surprising moves of the bunch, and see how they could impact the Red Sox as the new season begins to get underway.
Handing Aroldis Chapman the closer role over Liam Hendriks
The Red Sox let their closer, Kenley Jansen, walk in free agency, meaning that the position needed to be filled this offseason. Their first notable free agent signing saw them bring veteran left-handed flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to town, and he ended up being the best option to replace Jansen. Liam Hendriks, who was signed last offseason but did not pitch in 2024, lurked as an option too, meaning it was largely a competition between these two.
And yet, that competition never really developed. Chapman looked solid in spring training, posting a 2.45 earned run average over 7.1 innings of work, while Hendriks struggled mightily to the tune of a 9.95 ERA over 6.1 innings. Without really having to do much, Chapman is in line to be the Red Sox top option in the ninth inning to start the 2025 campaign.
Chapman certainly has experience in this role, but his control has begun to wane in recent seasons, as he hasn’t had a season where his ERA has been below three since 2019. Considering how Hendriks hasn’t pitched since 2023, he’s going to be given some time to shake off the rust, but it’s a bit surprising the front office didn’t do more to address this spot, and there’s a chance this duo could end up struggling once the season gets underway.
Naming Kristian Campbell the Opening Day second baseman
The aforementioned trio of prospects headlining Boston’s spring training action proved why they have so much hype surrounding them. While Mayer ended up not cracking the Opening Day roster, and Anthony’s status is still in limbo, Campbell seemed to be the one with the best shot of breaking camp in the majors.
Sure enough, that was confirmed on Sunday night, when it was revealed Campbell had made the team, implying he will be the team’s Opening Day second baseman. Campbell didn’t have a super strong spring training, hitting just .167 with one home run and two runs batted it, but he’s showcased his potential on several occasions at the plate, while also playing strong defense at easily Boston’s worst position in 2024.
Campbell starred in the minors last season (.330 BA, 20 HR, 77 RBI, 24 SB, .997 OPS), and he will be given a shot to prove he belongs in the majors to start the year. However, considering his spring training production, and the fact that Boston has several other options to man the spot, it was a bit of a surprise to see him earn the gig. The decision was necessitated, though, by what was easily Cora’s most surprising decision over the past month.
Moving Rafael Devers off of third base in favor of Alex Bregman
The assumption when the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract in free agency was that he would move to second base, rather than play his natural third base position. That’s because Boston already had their third baseman in place, Rafael Devers, who is the face of the franchise.
And yet, there was never really a point in time where it seemed like Bregman was going to play second base. He spent his time almost exclusively at third base, despite Devers coming out and saying he didn’t want to relinquish his position. Devers eventually backed off that stance, and he has accepted a move to designated hitter for the time being.
While the decision makes sense, as it opens up a spot on the team for Campbell, there’s no doubt that this is the most surprising decision Cora made when it comes to the team’s Opening Day roster. And while tensions have subsided for now, it’s a storyline that will need to be paid attention to as the season gets underway, especially if one of the trio of Devers, Bregman, or Campbell struggle in any capacity.
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