Just as fans and analysts were ready to bury the Boston Red Sox’s playoff hopes in 2025, a 10-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break has propelled the Red Sox back into contention in a wide-open American League. With an extremely lethargic start to the season, rumored clubhouse drama, the promotion of the number one prospect in baseball, and the shocking trade of Rafael Devers, it’s certainly been a season of up-and-downs to put it lightly for Boston. Regardless of everything that’s taken place, the Sox are finally putting it all together as the trade deadline approaches.
The story of Boston’s struggles in 2025 had been the same as in recent seasons, despite having their most talented roster since 2021. The Sox hit well when they struggle to pitch and vice versa, as well as playing extremely undisciplined baseball. With Alex Cora being one of the most respected managers in the MLB, it’s strange to see these faults with his recent Red Sox teams. While some of these issues can be attributed to Boston’s youth across the major league roster, the lack of improvement up until recent weeks has been disappointing.
Despite the Red Sox’s recent success, these habits haven’t quite disappeared, but the timing of every mistake has been much less detrimental to the outcome of each game. The real improvement has come from the rotation, with Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito emerging as legitimate impact starters for Boston behind Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet. The big three in the Sox’s pitching staff have been a staple in recent wins, putting up consistent shut-down performances and providing rest for one of the highest usage bullpens in baseball.
With the added rest days, Boston’s bullpen has been extremely effective in big spots throughout the season, especially in recent weeks. Despite the loss of Justin Slaten to the 60-Day IL, Aroldis Chapman has put up one of the best first halves of his career, posting a 1.18 ERA with 58 strikeouts in the closing role for the Sox. In-season acquisitions of Jordan Hicks and Jorge Alcala have only strengthened the plethora of high-leverage options for Alex Cora.
Boston’s offense has been streaky in 2025, and recent outbursts against poor teams have certainly strengthened the perception of their lineup, but this Red Sox offense has at least proven to be viable without Rafael Devers. Boston has the best current problem in baseball, simply having too many options to provide a spot in the lineup every day. With the return of Masataka Yoshida, the Sox have six outfielders deserving of playing time. Along with this, the surprisingly successful first base platoon of Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro has warranted spots in the lineup for them, and the return of Alex Bregman takes away the option of third base for either player.
Ultimately, Boston will have to make some difficult decisions regarding who gets playing time daily, and that may have to be addressed at the trade deadline. Still, for now, the Red Sox have the deepest lineup in baseball with the emergence of Ceddanne Rafeala and the resurgence of Trevor Story.
Perhaps the biggest factor in the Red Sox’s success is the budding star in center field. Rafaela has taken the MLB by storm in recent weeks, posting a 1.024 OPS with 12 home runs in his last 40 games. The athletic outfielder has been elite with the glove since he made his debut in 2023, but his potential stardom has always been dependent on the development of his bat.
Rafaela certainly didn’t come up as a poor offensive player; in fact, he shined at the plate in the minor leagues, posting a .998 OPS in 22 Triple-A games in 2023. His unique ability to make hard contact in and outside the zone stood out to scouts, landing him on the top 100 prospect list before his promotion.
Rafaela’s biggest fault at the plate was his tendency to chase pitches outside the zone, despite his numbers being significantly better when he avoided doing so. In his rookie season, Rafaela finished with a whooping 46.1% chase rate, landing him in the 1st percentile in the MLB. While he’ll always have significant chase in his game, he’s reduced it by 30% in 2025, making a world of a difference statistically. Staying in the zone has allowed Rafaela to punish mistakes in the strike zone with his elite ability to barrel the baseball.
Despite an ice-cold start to the season, Rafaela has posted a line of: .271 AVG / .314 OBP / .483 SLG / .796 OPS. He’s already walked 16 times, passing his previous year of 15, and paired this offensive ascension with elite defense in center field. Rafaela’s five-tool profile has shut down all trade scenarios involving him and helped him become a key piece of Boston’s future.
It’s nearly impossible to discuss the 2025 Red Sox without addressing the Devers saga that concluded with his departure from the team. Following the Bregman signing, the Red Sox’s management requested that Devers put his glove away and accept the role of designated hitter in 2025. He didn’t respond well to this as he wasn’t informed of Boston’s plans to sign a third baseman, let alone remove him from the position.
This exchange started turmoil between Devers and the front office, eventually leading to him declining to play first base when Tristan Casas suffered a season-ending injury. While Devers met with ownership and seemingly moved on from the situation, he was shockingly traded to the San Francisco Giants following the series sweep of the New York Yankees.
Red Sox fans responded angrily to the deal, as it felt tone deaf, poorly timed, and avoidable. Ultimately, we’ll never know how bad the relationship between Devers and the front office was and if the trade was necessary. The reality of this trade is that both sides were at fault. Devers is gone and won’t be returning to Boston, regardless of how anyone feels about him or the front office.
While the Sox have had recent success, attributing it to Devers’ absence is completely unfair, as he has no impact on the rotation’s ascent or the recent success of the lineup. While Boston has taken the next step as a team without him, two things can be true: The Red Sox aren’t dependent on Devers, but he wasn’t actively hurting the team.
With the Red Sox peaking going into the All-Star break, they’ve positioned themselves to be aggressive at the trade deadline. There are still weeks to the July 31st deadline, and Boston will have to keep their head above water to remain buyers, something they failed to do following their hot streak in 2024. While this team feels different, there’s no guarantee that the Red Sox will be eight games over .500 by the end of July.
If Boston positions itself to buy at the deadline, veteran rotation help will certainly be a point of emphasis. As solid as the staff has been as of late, the Red Sox could still use another big-time arm in the rotation. Names such as Charlie Morton, Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara, and more have been floated around for a team with more than enough assets to acquire any of the above. Another middle-of-the-order bat could also be a need, specifically a first baseman like Ryan O’Hearn or Josh Naylor.
Overall, Boston has played their best baseball in 2025 at the best possible time with the trade deadline approaching. As hot as they are positioning themselves, to contend in the American League will depend on their continued success leading up to the end of July, and the potential acquisitions they could make at the trade deadline. Capitalizing on their hot streak will be the key for the Red Sox.
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