Keith Law Predicts Familiar Outcome For 2026 Red Sox Season
Boston made a lot of moves over the offseason, but will they make a difference?
Keith Law Predicts Familiar Outcome For 2026 Red Sox Season originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Last year, the Boston Red Sox won 89 games, finished third in the AL East and made the playoffs.
Despite making a ton of moves over the offseason, there's a very real chance they end up in essentially the same spot this year. That's because the rest of the AL East got better , too, so the Red Sox merely kept pace. There's also not much room for improvement on an 89-win season without making dramatic upgrades, which Boston didn't really do this winter.
Accordingly, Keith Law expects more of the same from the Red Sox this year. In his 2026 preseason predictions for The Athletic (subscription required), he pegged them for an 87-75 record and another third-place finish in "baseball's most competitive division. " However, he at least acknowledged that Boston has the potential to win more games than that and perhaps top 90 wins for the first time since 2021.
"The Red Sox were aggressive this winter, adding three starting pitchers, a first baseman and another infielder, although it looks like the Red Sox agreed that Johan Oviedo wasn’t actually an upgrade over Connolly Early, and I hate that they’re moving Marcelo Mayer out of position in deference to Trevor Story’s dead-cat bounce year," Law wrote. "There’s still a lot of upside across this roster, though, enough that I think they can overcome some of this roster churn and end up with 90+ wins in many scenarios. " That won't be easy in such a difficult division, but Boston can get there if its elite pitching staff stays healthy, Roman Anthony steps up and the lineup outperforms expectations .