ESPN Analyst Labels Two Red Sox Veterans As 2026 Fantasy Baseball Busts
ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft warned fantasy baseball drafters to avoid two Boston Red Sox players coming off breakthrough seasons.
ESPN Analyst Labels Two Red Sox Veterans As 2026 Fantasy Baseball Busts originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . A fantasy baseball guru warned drafters against selecting two key Boston Red Sox players this season.
For those still drafting before Opening Day, ESPN's Tristan H. Cockcroft listed 15 busts to avoid. Along with fellow Red Sox star Rafael Devers, Cockcroft advised managers to eschew closer Aroldis Chapman and shortstop Trevor Story.
Chapman unexpectedly dominated in 2025, posting a microscopic 1. 17 ERA with a career-best 6. 6 percent walk rate.
Cockcroft doesn't think that resurgence is repeatable in the southpaw's 17th season, particularly if his fortune on balls in batted play neutralizes. "Chapman's 2025 was historically excellent, but what made it historic also makes it highly unlikely to be repeated (or even reasonably approach)," Cockcroft wrote. "Consider that Mariano Rivera is the only reliever ever with consecutive seasons of at least 30 saves and a 2.