3 reasons why Red Sox won’t win 2026 World Series

The Boston Red Sox showed quite a bit of improvement last year and returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2021 season. Manager Alex Cora’s team was not an offensive dynamo, but it did enough at the plate to avoid losing streaks and come through when the game was the line in the final three innings.

The Red Sox received a bounce-back season from the oft-injured Trevor Story (25 home runs, 96 RBI, 31 stolen bases) at shortstop and they also got clutch hitting from Alex Bregman and rookie Roman Anthony before he got injured and missed the final month of the season. However, the Red Sox lost their best hitter when Rafael Devers got traded to the San Francisco Giants and Cora was left to scramble when it came to putting together his lineup.

While the offense was up and down, the Red Sox found their ace starting pitcher as Garrett Crochet became their stud on the mound. His combination of power and command made him a legitimate challenger to Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers for the Cy Young Award.

Veteran Aroldis Chapman had the best season of his career (1.17 ERA, 32 saves, 85 strikeouts in 61.1 innings) as the Boston closer. He had great command and control of his fastball and he regularly worked in his breaking pitch to stop the game’s best hitters.

The Red Sox would like to build off of a season that saw them lose in the Wild Card round to the New York Yankees by a 2-1 margin after winning the first game of the series.

Red Sox lack the power to win the AL East

The competition in the American League East will once again be a huge challenge with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees in favorite roles. Additionally, the Baltimore Orioles figure to bounce back from a brutal 2025 season after signing slugging first baseman Pete Alonso in the offseason. All three of those teams may have more hitting than the Red Sox.

Boston no longer has Bregman to anchor the infield at third base and fill a key spot in the batting order. He opted for free agency after one season in Boston and he signed with the Chicago Cubs. The team will miss his bat, glove and leadership.

The Red Sox have acquired Willson Contreras to play first base and also traded for budding star Caleb Durbin to play third base. The Red Sox are expecting both men to be primary contributors to the lineup.

Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran all played starring roles for their teams in the World Baseball Classic. If they continue to play at a high level, the Red Sox may have enough hitting, but Anthony still has to fill his vast potential, Abreu has to show off consistency and Duran needs a bounce-back season.

Some analytics show the Red Sox not having a 20-home run hitter in their lineup. If that is the case, the World Series is a pipe dream at Fenway Park.

Pressure on starting pitching will be immense

Since the Red Sox don’t have the power in their lineup to compare with the Blue Jays, Yankees and perhaps the Orioles, the pressure is on the pitching staff to come through with a lot of victories in 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 games.

Crochet proved he was up to the challenge last year with his brilliant year that saw him compile an 18-5 record with a 2.59 earned run average. He led the American League with 255 strikeouts in 205.1 innings. He is a proven commodity at this point, and the only worry is whether he can stay healthy or not.

The Red Sox have added a pair of top starters in Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray. The pressure to win at Fenway Park will be intense for the newcomers, and they may have to get used to pitching without much run support.

The Red Sox are also counting on Brayan Bello to have a consistent season in the starting rotation. He has an 11-9 record and a 3.35 ERA last season, but he only struck out 124 batters in 166.2 innings. He has not shown he can put hitters away or get the crucial outs late in the game.

Management will not do enough to support Cora when the season is on the line

The Red Sox have lost quite a bit of talent in recent years. They traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers when he was one of the top three players in the sport. The Red Sox traded Rafael Devers away because of a dispute over his position last year. They failed to give Bregman a similar contract to the one he signed with the Cubs — 5 years, $175 million — and he left after one year.

What would make any Red Sox observer believe that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow (meaning Red Sox owner John Henry) would make a bold move this season? The Red Sox appear content to have an above average team, but not one that is going to dominate and win a World Series.

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