It has been less than 36 hours since the Boston Red Sox lost Game 3 of their Wild Card Series vs. the New York Yankees. I watched Games 1 and 2 on TV. Game 1 was one of the best baseball games I have watched in years. I listened to the WEEI radio broadcast of Game 3. Yesterday, just hours after the Game 3 loss, I wore my Boston Red Sox gear out in public because I am fan – when they win and when they lose. So are many other members of Red Sox nation, including a ton of social media personalities, journalists, influencers, and fans. Many members of Red Sox Nation, including current players, took to social media to express their gratitude and joy for the exciting season it was. And that the future is bright in Boston.

And there are many so called Red Sox experts and others that posted negative comment after negative comment on the Boston Red Sox – their disappointing 2025 season, their postseason failures, their uncertain future – I’m not so sure about their actual fandom based on their commentary on social media sites. There are a lot of “what ifs” and “opt out theories” and “free agent options” and “trade this guy” and “fire this guy” type posts that are just downright outrageous and baseless and speculation at best. I will just say that a lot of their comments are typical of how social media sites are fueled and thriving – controversial, unsubstantiated statements that aim to incite and fire up people for likes, clicks, and shares.

Here are a few that are being spun on social media sites this morning. Let’s start with firing Alex Cora, the current manager of the Boston Red Sox. We have all heard that one before. And don’t stop at the manager, let’s also fire the third base coach, Kyle Hudson. You know the one who didn’t wave Nate Eaton home in Game 2? I haven’t seen any calls for current pitching coach Andrew Bailey yet, but with a bit of digging I’m sure to find someone who wants him let go. Nor have I seen anyone jump on Chris Holt, the bullpen coach. After all, a member of the bullpen staff, Garrett Whitlock, did lose Game 2. Give it some time, I’m sure no Red Sox coach will be spared.

Now let’s go over the social media experts 2026 proposed lineups. Yes, you read that correctly. 36 hours after losing a playoff game, folks are already lining up the Opening Day roster for the Red Sox. Trade Jarren Duran, that is a popular one. Trade Tristan Casas, that is another one out there. Let Alex Bregman walk, he has a player option to opt out of his 3 year deal he signed last offseason. Sign Joe Ryan. Sign Pete Alonso. Sign Kyle Schwarber. Trade for Nolan Arenado. Trade for a backup catcher. Insert the likes of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, Peyton Tolle, Connelly Early permanently into the lineup because the future is strong with these young players playing for the Sox. Sign, trade, let walk, insert, and you will deliver a World Series caliber team that all of Red Sox Nation can really stand behind – so they write.

Broad strokes here, allow me a moment to analyze the Boston Red Sox season, as a 50 plus year fan of Boston’s Boys of Summer.

Did the Boston Red Sox improve in 2025 over 2024, or in business terms, year over year (YOY)? Yes, after missing the postseason the last few years, the Red Sox rebounded nicely this year securing a 5th place position as a American League Wild Card team.

Is the improvement YOY sustainable for years to come or more flash in the pan? Sustainable. The minor league talent that has been cultivating for a number of years, due to expert MLB drafting, is finally ready to make its mark at the Major League level. Roman Anthony will vie for Red Sox MVP honors for the foreseeable future, maybe even MLB wise. Marcelo Mayer is a Gold Glove infielder and plus hitter. Ceddanne Rafaela is a confident defender and streaky hitter and a proven MLB’er. Tristan Casas just needs to skip the injury bug and he will be your starting 1st Baseman for years. Keep growing and developing roles for Tolle, Early, Fitts, Campbell, and insert them where there are deficiencies.

Are there areas of improvement that can be addressed? Several. The Boston Red Sox, according to Baseball Reference, led the Major Leagues in errors with an astounding 116 during the regular season. With better defense, comes winning close games more often. Lineup consistency could make a difference. The Red Sox seemed to have a lot of platoon players inserted into key games, probably because of injuries I suspect. I would like to see more playing time for the regulars and less off day type games where the platoon players get their at-bats. And who couldn’t use better starting pitchers? We have a perennial Cy Young candidate signed long term in Garrett Crochet. We have pretty good starters in Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and some up and comers in Tolle and Early. If the Sox are not sending bullpen help into the 4th and 5th inning of every 3rd or 4th game, I think that will be an improvement. Lastly, timely hitting. The Red Sox continue to struggle in that metric, driving runners in that are scoring position. You can’t teach timely hitting. You just have to create a culture and approach that encourages timely hitting.

Was the 2025 Boston Red Sox season a failure? No, in my opinion it was a positive turn towards a brighter tomorrow. A failure would have been a September collapse after Roman Anthony’s injury. A failure would have been a NYY sweep in the Wild Card series. A failure would have been Red Sox players marching out of their opt-out options post game like many other players have done. A failure would have been the likes of Tolle, Early, Anthony, Mayer and others not performing even close to what these rookies did in 2025. 2025 was a great year for the Boston Red Sox and as a fan, I believe the Sox exceeded my expectations.

So, is the closing “ho-hum” theme of the day going to be “Better Luck, Next Year?” Will it be a fire, trade, demote, opt out, insert, and win mentality for the Boston Red Sox brain trust? Or continue to play the cards you are dealt, adding and subtracting a few elements of the team, but maintaining the core group of youth and veterans to push ever further in 2026? The offseason for the Boston Red Sox began at roughly 10:35pm on Thursday night and Opening Day, 2026 is about 5 months away, so we shall see how this all plays out.

For the record and for what it’s worth, I had a blast cheering on the 2025 Boston Red Sox and cannot wait to see what they present to Red Sox Nation on Opening Day, 2026!