Nick John

In an exclusive interview with Talk Sox, Red Sox 2024 8th-round pick Conrad Cason talks about growing up playing sports, his favorite players growing up, and his professional debut in 2025. The young two-way player also talks about how his rehab process has gone and is looking forward to spring training. View full video

The third week of the Arizona Fall League has wrapped up, and like always, there were some solid performances, as well as many that left something to be desired. Unlike the week before, Boston Red Sox pitchers did not get into many games, yet some still managed to show some improvement. From an offensive standpoint, the status quo mostly went untouched. Across the week, the Salt River Rafters played six games and went 3-3 to bring their record on the season to 8-8 at the end of the third week. The team is still in the middle of the standings and fighting to make the playoffs. But here at Talk Sox, we’re more interested in how the Red Sox prospects did. After making two starts last week, top prospect Luis Perales made just one start where he nearly made it through three innings. The outing was the longest of the fall season for Perales, as he tossed 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and a walk. Perales also struck out two batters. The right-hander finished the day with 54 pitches, tossing 33 of them for strikes. His toughest inning was the second where he allowed two hits and a walk while both of his earned runs scored. After allowing the first three batters to reach base and watching the score grow to 3-0, Perales buckled down and picked off Miguel Ugueto before getting a groundout from Patrick Clohisy and a fly out from Nacho Alvarez Jr. His fastball topped out at 100.5 mph. Also in the one-start club last week was Jojo Ingrassia, though his outing didn't go as well. Ingrassia struggled as he was pulled after 57 pitches in under two innings. In total, Ingrassia tossed 1 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks. He also managed to strike out three batters. His first inning was fine enough, working around a single, error and walk to escape the jam without allowing a run. It was the second inning where things got messy for the young pitcher. After striking out Ugueto to lead off the inning, he allowed a single, walk and then an RBI double. A fielder’s choice followed that up to make it 2-1 before a wild pitch made it 3-1. A second double in the inning drove in the fourth run of the outing and after getting one more out, he was replaced with Isaac Stebens. Speaking of, Stebens appeared in two games this week, tossing 1 1/3 innings between the two outings and recording his first win. In his first outing, Stebens pitched one inning, working around a hit and a walk while throwing 16 pitches. His second outing came in relief of Ingrassia, getting one out and earning the win. Brandon Neely appeared in just one game this week as he tossed two scoreless innings. Across those frames, he allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three batters. He also needed 35 pitches to get through the outing with 21 of them being thrown for strikes. Neely came on in relief in the fifth inning, promptly allowing a single to his first batter before getting three straight outs. The sixth inning started much like the fifth, with Neely allowing a leadoff single before buckling down. Neely struck out his next two batters before a stolen base, balk and a walk had runners at the corners. Neely then got out of the jam by striking out Cole Mathis with a 94.9 mph sinker. Jay Allmer did not pitch this week after leaving his last appearance with an injury. Offensively, the position players mostly struggled with the exception of Stanley Tucker. The utility player has been a surprise in Arizona as he’s been one of the better offensive players when in the Rafters' lineup. During his third week, Tucker would go 7-for-18 in five games played. In that span he had two doubles, four RBIs and five strikeouts while walking once. He also stole three bases to bring his total on the season to nine. The bigger name in Johanfran Garcia struggled however, as he went just 4-for-17 with an RBI in four games played this week. In those 17 at-bats, the catching prospect struck out four times and walked once. Though, the biggest moment of the week for Garcia came in a 5-4 extra inning loss where he homered in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Rafters a 3-2 lead. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Garcia swung at a sweeper that covered the inside of the plate, depositing it into left field for his first home run in Arizona. The ball had an exit velocity of 98.4 mph. The final Red Sox player to get into any games was Nelly Taylor, who had a better week offensively than in the past, though his overall numbers remain lacking. Appearing in three games, Taylor went 2-for-9 with two RBIs, three walks and three strikeouts. He also stole two bases to bring his season total to five. Defensively, Taylor split time between center field and left field. The third week was much of the same as the previous two, as the team's prospects continue to shake off rust and work through development curves. With the Arizona Fall League roughly halfway through, it’ll be interesting to see how they hold up for the few remaining weeks. View full article

While the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers continue to battle it out in the World Series, the Boston Red Sox have begun to build up depth for the 2026 season. Late Sunday night, the team came to an agreement with free agent catcher Jason Delay on a minor league deal according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. It was first reported by Just Baseball Media's Aram Leighton. Delay, who has played parts of three seasons in the majors, will immediately slot in as the third catcher on the depth chart behind Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong. Delay will turn 31 in March and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would go on to make his major league debut in 2022 and play in 134 games between then and 2024. Across that span, he hit .231/.295/.315 with 20 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 35 RBIs. In 2025, he split time with Atlanta‘s Double-A and Triple-A teams. In truth, Delay's glove is what he's better known for, as he was a strong framer in 2022 and 2023 while also throwing out 16 baserunners during his time in the majors. While the details of the contract are currently unknown, it is likely Delay has received a non-roster invite to spring training. The move, however, is more about acquiring depth at Triple-A in the event of a potential injury. View full rumor

1B Triston Casas Age on Opening Day 2026: 26 years old Service Time: 3 years, 32 days 2023 Salary: $723,500 2024 Salary: $760,000 2025 Salary: $774,000 2026 Salary (Projection): $1,700,000 Background: If you’ve followed the Red Sox since the early 2020's, you know who Triston Casas is. Taken 26th overall in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Casas immediately became the fourth ranked prospect in the system less than a month after being drafted. By July of 2019,, he was the number one ranked prospect in the system and remained there until July of 2022, when he was replaced by Marcelo Mayer. Casas was always viewed as a potential middle-of-the-order bat thanks to his discipline, control and understanding of the strike zone, as well as his power. However, injuries have made it difficult for him to remain on the field since 2021, when he was limited to 86 games. In 2022 ,that number elevated to 103 games between the minor leagues and with Boston. The 2023 campaign saw him buck that trend by playing in 132 games before injuries derailed his 2024 and 2025 seasons once again, playing a combined 92 games across those two seasons. 2025 Season: This year was viewed as a potential make-or-break season for Casas following an injury-plagued 2024, and possibly his last chance to prove he was the first baseman of the present and future for the franchise. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out all too well. Playing in just 29 games before his season ended on May 2 due to a ruptured left patellar tendon, Casas struggled at the plate. Hitting just .182/.277/.303, Casas saw his usual power seemingly vanish before the injury, as he had just six extra-base hits (three doubles and three home runs), though he was still getting on base thanks in part to his 11 walks. Despite hitting .455/.500/.909 against left-handed pitching, Casas saw himself mostly found himself sitting versus southpaws as Romy González would start at first. In total, Casas had 11 at-bats against left-handed pitching in 2025. 2025 Stats: 29 G, 112 PA, .182/.277/.303 .580 OPS, 3 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9.8 BB%, 24.1 K% Red Sox Depth at First Base: Romy González: 40-man roster Nathaniel Lowe: 40-man roster Nick Sogard: 40-man roster Triple-A: Nathan Hickey Double-A: Brooks Brannon, Tyler Miller Summary: A big issue with the 2025 Red Sox was the lack of first base depth even before Casas went down. That issue only became bigger after his injury, as most of the playing time was split between González and minor league free agent Abraham Toro. Sogard got a few games at first base as well, but he’s more comfortable elsewhere in the infield. In August, the Red Sox picked up Lowe and he performed well during his time in Boston, but there’s no guarantee he will be back in 2026 as he’s projected to make $13.5M in arbitration himself. Currently, the farm system doesn't offer many solutions either, as Hickey was a catcher up until last season and Brannon is also a catcher who is more suited for first base. Why the Red Sox Should Offer Him a Contract: Despite injuries and an extremely rough 2025 season, Casas is still young and has a lot of potential offensively. Should he stay healthy, there is still a 30-homer season within his bat that the Red Sox very much could use after ending 2025 without a single hitter reaching that number. It’s also only been two seasons since Casas hit 24 home runs and had an .856 OPS as a 23-year-old rookie. There’s no denying his bat could help carry the offense, but the issue is whether he can stay in the lineup every day at this point of his career. At his best, Casas has looked like the middle-of-the-order bat the team desperately needs right now. Why the Red Sox Should Not Offer Him a Contract: The easy answer is his health issues. In every season since 2021, he has missed a good portion of the season, including in 2023 when he spent most of September on the injured list. Some of the injuries he’s had since being in the organization include his ruptured left patellar tendon, a torn rib cartilage, shoulder inflammation, and a sprained ankle that saw him miss nearly two months. Also, the team has already said they believe it’s too early in the offseason to commit to anyone as their first baseman. Casas’ inability to stay on the field has put the team into a bind for back-to-back seasons now, and it would be wise to look at all their options before going into 2026 with the plan of Casas as their starting first baseman. Projection: There are not many outcomes where the team will non-tender Casas; in fact, you could realistically say there is no chance it happens. With the potential in his bat, it makes sense to offer him a contract for around $1.7M, especially if he stays healthy and has a season similar to 2023. He isn’t too far removed from that season, and he will only be 26 years old in 2026, so he’ll be just entering the beginning of his prime. He should have plenty of great seasons in him if he can just stay on the field. Of course, even if they offer him arbitration, that doesn’t mean the team wouldn’t look to trade him like they attempted to in previous offseasons. Should he miss a lot of time in 2026 due to injuries again, it wouldn’t come as a surprise for the team to non-tender him then, especially if his value is next to nothing. What do you think? Is it a foregone conclusion that Casas is back for 2026, or do you think the slugging first baseman could be shipped off to a new team? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. View full article

The second week of the Arizona Fall League is officially over, as Boston Red Sox players continued to take advantage of the opportunity to continue their seasons. Unfortunately, just like with the first week, while there were highs for players, there were also serious lows. Over the past week, the Salt River Rafters played six games, going 4-2 and bringing their record to 5-5 on the season. After two weeks of games, the team is now in fourth place, just two games back of the first place Scottsdale Scorpions. But you’re not interested in that, so let’s get into how the prospects did this week. Luis Perales made two starts on the week as he continued on his return from Tommy John surgery. Unlike his first start, the right-hander managed to make it through two innings, looking a bit more like the top prospect he was before getting injured in 2024. Across those two hitless innings, he allowed just one earned run on a single walk while striking out four. In total, he needed 31 pitches to get through the two frames. Perales also had his fastball clocked at 100.7 mph, his fastest of the day, on his third-to-last pitch of the outing. His second outing wasn’t as dominant; Perales again lasted two innings, but his pitch count got up to 51 pitches on the day. Of those 51 pitches, only 29 were thrown for strikes as the right-hander struggled with command. In his two innings, Perales allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks. He also struck out three batters. Elsewhere, 2024 draft pick Brandon Neely didn’t fare much better in his lone outing of the week. Tossing 51 pitches, 24 of them for strikes, Neely failed to make it through the second inning as he only tossed 1 2/3 innings. Neely would allow seven earned runs (though one came around to score after he had been pulled) on four hits and three walks. He did manage to strike out two batters, however. The second inning was his downfall, as it opened with a walk, hit by pitch and then two more walks to make it a 3-0 deficit after allowing two runs in the first. He nearly got out of it without much more damage thanks to a double play, but that was followed by a two-run single and a double making it 6-0, leading to Neely's quick hook. The trend of pitching struggling this week continued with Jojo Ingrassia, who appeared in one game and tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief. In that span, he allowed five runs, four of them earned, on three hits and two walks. He also struck out four. Despite the stat line being rather ugly, Ingrassia had a strong fifth inning as he struck out two batters in the frame. Overall, he tossed 51 pitches, 25 of them for strikes across the outing. For the remaining two pitchers the Red Sox sent to Arizona, it was a week they would like to forget. While Isaac Stebens had a great outing in his first appearance, getting three strikeouts while pitching around a hit and walk in his lone inning, his second appearance is one he should probably burn the tape from. Pitching in his second game of the week, Stebens struggled mightily, only able to get one out as he allowed four runs, three of them earned, in one-third of an inning. His usual command wasn’t there as he walked two batters and only got one strikeout. Much like Stebens, Jay Allmer is looking to forget his latest outing in the AFL, as he failed to even record a single out. Instead, he walked two batters, throwing 10 pitches and only getting two strikes before an injury forced him to leave the game. Both of his runners would score, causing them to be attributed to his ERA, which now sits at an unsightly 19.29. Offensively, there wasn’t much to be proud about either, as top prospect Johanfran Garcia struggled mightily. Appearing in four games, the catcher and designated hitter went 1-for-15 with three RBIs. The right-handed hitter also walked four times but struck out four times as well. His lone hit of the week was a double to right field that came off a 94.8 mph fastball that got too much of the plate. Fortunately for Garcia, that lone hit exited his bat at 104.5 mph, a promising sign for his future. Last week’s surprise performer Stanley Tucker fared better than the other Red Sox position players. Appearing in five games, the utility player went 3-for-13 with his first double of the season. He also drove in two runs while walking six times. He also struck out four times, though he managed to steal three bases to bring his total up to six. Defensively, Tucker only appeared at second base. And much like last week, Nelly Taylor did not receive much playing time. The outfielder appeared in four games, but two of them were as a pinch runner late in the game (where he remained as a defensive substitution). In the two games he did start, Taylor appeared in center field and went 1-for-8 offensively. Taylor struck out four times and walked once while also stealing one base to bring his season total up to three. Hopefully, the third week of the Arizona Fall League will see this group of prospects put together a little more consistent outcomes. While the league is meant to work on certain skills and develop players beyond the scope of the regular MiLB season, it would still look nice to see consistent results from players such as Perales and Garcia. Regardless, you can’t help but be glad to see players who missed so much time in 2025 now getting a chance to catch up on their development. View full article

Despite the 2025 season having ended for the Red Sox, there are still players within the organization who are spending time getting into games and working on improving. Last week, on October 7, the players selected from the Red Sox to play in the Arizona Fall League began their fall season as the Salt River Rafters played against the Glendale Desert Dogs. Within the first week of play, the Rafters played four games, going 1-3 as their games on Saturday and Sunday were cancelled. The stats found here are eligible through those first games (other games have been played since, but we'll recap those in a future—and more timely [editor's fault]—week in review). As we’ve discussed previously, the Red Sox sent eight players to the AFL this season, with a late switch being that Jonathan Brand was replaced on the roster with Jay Allmer. Allmer, a 23-year-old undrafted free agent who signed with Boston in April of 2025, appeared in 29 games between Salem and Greenville where he went a combined 6-1 with a 2.85 ERA in 53 2/3 innings. Now to check in on how the Red Sox prospects did in their first week: Red Sox top prospect Luis Perales got the nod in the season opener for the Rafters but was still pitching on a pitch count. Tossing 1 1/3 innings on 33 pitches, Perales showed that he was still lacking command just like in his final Triple-A appearance of the season. Of those 33 pitches, Perales threw just 17 strikes and allowed a hit to go along with three walks. On the positive side, Perales struck out two batters and managed to hit over 100 mph on his fastball in the outing. The pitcher stated before the start that he would like to get up to four innings in an outing before the end of the AFL season. The Red Sox saw two more pitchers throw in the opener, as 2024 third-round pick Brandon Neely made his professional debut, tossing three innings. Neely looked comfortable on the mound, tossing a clean 1-2-3 inning to open his outing. His second inning saw him work around trouble as a leadoff single and a one-out hit by pitch led to him facing former Sox prospect Cutter Coffey with two on. Neely managed to get Coffey to ground into a double play with a curveball low in the zone. It was his third inning of work that went off the rails, due to poor defense behind Neely. An error opened the inning, but the runner would be erased on a fielder’s choice before a single put two runners on. A second fielder’s choice placed runners on the corners with two outs, but Neely couldn’t get out unscathed as a stolen base by Sam Antonacci had two in scoring position for a Jim Jarvis single to make it a 3-2 game. Neely did buckle down and got the next batter to fly out to center field to end the inning. In total, Neely tossed 42 pitches, 27 strikes, across three innings where he allowed three hits and two unearned runs while striking out a batter. He managed to hit 96 mph during the outing. The final pitcher in the opener was Allmer, tossing one inning and allowing one hit while striking out a batter. In total, the inning took just 14 pitches to complete. Allmer would pitch in a second game in that first week, though the outing wasn't as clean; he allowed three earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings. In that time, he allowed just one hit but walked four batters. He tossed 38 pitches in his second outing, just 17 of them for strikes. In the second game of the season, the Rafters sent Red Sox prospect Jojo Ingrassia to the mound to open the game. Unlike Perales, Ingrassia did not make it through his outing unscathed. Instead, the left-handed pitcher would be lifted in the second inning after tossing 47 pitches, 23 of them for strikes. Ingrassia had an interesting first inning where he managed to work around runners on base to get out of it scoreless. A one-out double by Seaver King was followed by a wild pitch that now had Ingrassia dealing with a runner on third with just one out. A walk followed that before Ingrassia got a swinging strikeout with an 84.8 mph slider down and out of the zone. A second walk followed that before Ingrassia got his second strikeout of the game with another slider that was even further out of the zone. Having been given the lead after the Rafters scored in the top of the second, Ingrassia could not hold on, as a single followed by a fielder’s choice and Ingrassia’s second wild pitch had him dealing with another runner in scoring position. A hit by pitch followed that up before Ingrassia allowed an RBI single to Joseph Sullivan that tied the game and placed runners on the corners. Facing his final batter, Ingrassia got King to strike out on a slider extremely down in the zone. Overall, he threw 1 2/3 innings and allowed three hits, one earned run, two walks and three strikeouts. The Red Sox saw their fifth and final pitcher get into a game during the Rafters’ third game of the season, as Isaac Stebens would pitch the sixth inning in a 10-9 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox. After a strong season with High-A Greenville, Stebens threw a scoreless inning. In his lone inning he allowed one walk and one strikeout, tossing 16 pitches with nine of them going for strikes. However, Stebens didn’t have as clean an inning as his stat line shows. He hit the first batter he faced, who promptly stole second base. Then, he walked his second batter as they attempted a double steal. Coby Morales was thrown out trying to steal third base as part of it before Stebens got PJ Morlando to line out for the second out. He ended the inning with a strikeout on a 93.1 mph fastball up in the zone. Offensively, the Red Sox have seen production from their position players as well; both Johanfran Garcai and Stanley Tucker performed well in the first week, while Nelly Taylor only got into two games. In his first week playing, Garcia appeared in three games, getting 12 at-bats and getting four hits in that span. All four of his hits were singles, and he drove in one run. He also walked once and struck out twice. Defensively, Garcia struggled in his first game, as the opposing team stole three bases on him during his five innings behind the plate. He also allowed two passed balls in that same span. Besides catching, Garcia has also seen time spent as the team’s designated hitter. Stanley Tucker has been a welcome surprise with his production in the AFL so far. Having missed all of the 2025 minor league season due to injury, Tucker got off on the right foot in his first game. In his first at-bat of the entire season, Tucker delivered with two on and two outs, swinging on the first pitch to go opposite field and hit a 95.3 mph ground ball into right field to drive in both runners. Tucker would finish the game 2-for-3 with a walk to go along with his two RBIs. Tucker would go on to play in all four games of the first week, playing second base in each game. He hit a collective 5-for-15 with all of his hits being singles. He would also drive in six runs in that span and walk twice while striking out three times. The final player sent by the Red Sox, Taylor, didn't play much, going a combined 1-for-8 in his two appearances, with his lone hit being a single. In those eight at-bats, he struck out five times and walked only once. While on defense, Taylor has spent his time in center field. View full article

Defensive value also plays a role in their grades and Campbell was statistically the worst defensive second baseman in baseball during his time in the majors. Mayer was viewed as a good to even great defender. Also, Campbell’s struggles went on for a longer span than his hot streak to open the season. Mayer filled his role better than Campbell since one was expected to be a starter from day 1 while the other was brought up due to an injury and was needed to play at least league average defense at a seemingly new position for him. Anything they got offensively from Mayer was a bonus.

With the 2025 season officially over, it’s time to look back on the roster and see if players lived up to their expectations, exceeded them, or even failed to live up to them. With that, today we’re going to look back upon the season the Red Sox infielders had in 2025. The infield itself saw a few rotating parts due to either injury or poor performance. In total, the team ended up using 12 different players in the infield, but those who played mostly in the outfield (Ceddanne Rafaela and Nate Eaton) will have their grades omitted since infield was not their main position. Despite injuries and poor play, the Red Sox managed to find workarounds either through their minor league depth or late season acquisitions to keep the infield from collapsing. You can see our grades for catchers here, and outfielders here. Trevor Story: B+ To say Story had his best season in Boston in 2025 would be an understatement. After playing in a total of 163 games in his first three seasons with the Red Sox, Story played 157 this season and was a leader both on and off the field. Offensively, he led the lineup by example, hitting anywhere between second and fourth as he would go on to hit .263/.308/.433 with a .741 OPS. He also brought home 29 doubles, 25 home runs and 96 RBIs, the latter two figures leading the team. But one of his more historic stats was the fact he stole 31 bases and was only caught once on his final attempt of the season, breaking an American League record for most consecutive stolen bases to start a season. It wasn’t all positive for Story, as the month of May had fans calling for the shortstop to be benched or even released from his contract as he absolutely struggled. In 25 games that month, Story looked finished as a player, hitting just .158/.200/.232 with just one double, two home runs, seven RBIs and 35 strikeouts. After missing nearly two years of baseball, he looked overmatched at the plate, but eventually found his footing again as he would turn things around in June with a .286/.327/.500 stat line where he had six doubles, five home runs and 23 RBIs. Defensively, it may have been his worst effort since the shortened 2020 season, as he posted a .970 fielding percentage. That number was thanks to 19 errors, a career high that was inflated by a September that saw him commit six errors in his final nine games. Story finished the season with 3.0 fWAR. Alex Bregman: B Bregman was one of two key offseason acquisitions by Craig Breslow and was expected to be a leader both on and off the field. While a second half that saw him deal with the lingering effects of his previously injured quad led to a decline offensively, Bregman was constantly helping the team out however he could. While only playing in 114 games, there is no debate that Bregman returned earlier than expected from his quad injury, the team doing its best to manage his workload until he was more comfortable and conditioned to play more than two games in a row. Despite that, his first half alone made his signing look like a genius move, as he hit .298/.380/.546 with 18 doubles, 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in his first 53 games. However, after the quad injury, Bregman hit just .250/.341/.386 with an OPS of .727 in 61 games. Across that same span, he had just 10 doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBIs. September was also his worst month of the season, as he appeared in 22 games but hit just .216/.310/.330 with four doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. Despite missing time with his injury, Bregman was a constant voice in the clubhouse with the younger players as he provided advice and support that proved invaluable as the Red Sox made their first postseason since 2021. Defensively, he committed nine errors across 113 games at third base for a fielding percentage of .969. Bregman finished the season with a fWAR of 3.5. Kristian Campbell: C- Campbell was the top prospect who broke camp with the team, and everyone immediately viewed him as the future. Within his first week in the majors, he signed an eight-year extension and had put himself in early talks as a Rookie of the Year favorite as he hit .301/.407/.495 with an OPS of .902 in 29 games between March and April. He also had eight doubles, four home runs, and 12 RBIs as he looked every bit of a future offensive star. Unfortunately, that was the high point of his season. Pitchers began to adjust to Campbell, and the rookie struggled to make the necessary adjustments at the major league level as he hit just .134/.184/.171 in 22 May games, highlighted by a 27:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was ultimately optioned on June 20 and remained in Worcester the rest of the season in an attempt to work on the issues that major league pitching had discovered (while also attempting to learn how to play first base). Defensively, Campbell appeared at second in 59 games and committed seven errors for a fielding percentage of .968, and he was considered one of the worst defenders in all of baseball during his time in the big leagues (-16 DRS). For the entire season, Campbell appeared in 67 games and hit .223/.319/.345 with an OPS of .664. He also had 10 doubles, six home runs, and 21 RBIs. He finished the season with a fWAR of -0.2. Triston Casas: D Coming into 2025, Casas was expected to be a key offensive piece for the team as the everyday first baseman. Instead, the plane never got off the runway. Casas only played in 29 games this season before ultimately ending up injured for the fourth consecutive season. Though Casas believes he’ll be ready for the 2026 season, his injury history is ugly. There's a lot of weight on his shoulders to play a full season in 2026. Offensively, Casas started cold, hitting .059/.111/.059 in his first five games (four starts) while striking out seven times in 17 at-bats. He would go on to open April by going 5-for-14 with a home run, but after April 4 would not have a multi-hit game again until April 29 against Toronto. For the entire season, Casas would go on to hit .182/.277/.303 with an OPS of .580 in 29 games. He had three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs, as his injury history has now made it hard to rely on him as the everyday first baseman for 2026 and beyond. Defensively he appeared in 28 games at first base and committed just two errors for a fielding percentage of .991. For the season, Casas ended the year with a fWAR of -0.6. Romy González: B+ González played in a career-high 96 games in 2025 where he bounced between first, second and third base as the team needed him to play multiple position once more. Unlike in 2024 where he played every position besides pitcher and catcher, González mostly split time between first and second base. In 2025, he was a key presence in the lineup, hitting .305/.343/.483 with an OPS of .826. Along with that, he also had 23 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, and 53 RBIs as he formed one half of the “Lefty Killers” duo alongside Rob Refsnyder. Against left-handed pitching was where he really did damage; he posted a .331/.378/.600 slash with an OPS of .978. He also had seven of his nine home runs against left-handers in 130 at-bats. Though, he was still productive against right-handed pitching as he slashed .286/.318/.400 in 185 at-bats. Defensively, González stepped up when Casas got injured, forming a platoon with Abraham Toro where he ended up appearing at first base in 58 games. In that span, he committed four errors for a .989 fielding percentage. González would play 42 games at second base and have a .978 fielding percentage after committing three errors. He also appeared at third base for just two games, making an error on the only play he had at the position for a fielding percentage of .000. González finished the season with a fWAR of 1.5. Abraham Toro: C Toro was not the first baseman we wanted, but he was the first baseman who stepped up following Casas’ injury. Despite not being the biggest name to replace the slugging first baseman, Toro showed up to Boston and did what was expected of him: give the team innings at first base and not be a black hole on offense. In the first half of the season, Toro was a key contributor on offense even if his peripherals showed he was getting rather lucky. In 52 first-half games, the infielder would hit .271/.321/.418 with an OPS of .739. He also had 11 doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs for the team while providing quality defense at first base. Unfortunately, July bore the brunt of the expected regression for Toro, as he hit just .221/.295/.279 in 21 games with four doubles and six RBIs. Things got worse in 14 August games where he hit .137/.151/.255 with two home runs and five RBIs. Defensively, he played 68 games at first base and committed three errors for a fielding percentage of .994. Toro also made 16 appearances at third base and made four errors there for a fielding percentage of .902. Toro would go on to be designated for assignment on August 21 and outrighted to Worcester on August 23, where he would finish the season. On October 10, he elected free agency. Toro finished the season with a fWAR of -0.7. Marcelo Mayer: C+ After being drafted fourth overall in 2021 and dealing with a few injuries in the minor leagues, Mayer finally made his debut for Boston after Bregman went on the injured list. Playing much of his professional career at shortstop, Mayer spent time at Worcester getting more comfortable at both third base and second base, something that would work out in his favor with Boston. His glove was clearly ready for the major leagues, as he appeared at third base in 39 games and committed just a single error for a fielding percentage of .985. His DRS was zero but he earned two OAA and two FRV, generally grading out positively. He would also play eight games at second where he didn’t commit an error and would finish two games at shortstop but committed one error in two fielding attempts. Offensively, Mayer showed he still had some work to do, though he also flashed the potential in his bat that made him the fourth overall pick all those years ago. Overall, he hit .228/.272/.402 with an OPS of .674 in 44 games. He also had eight doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 10 RBIs, but struck out 41 times and walked only eight times. He did fare much better against right-handed pitching more than left-handed, hitting .248/.294/.446 with eight doubles, four home runs and nine RBIs compared to a stat line of .154/.185/.231 with a triple and one RBI against southpaws. Mayer’s season would end on July 25 when he was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right wrist sprain. Mayer ended the season with a fWAR of 0.4. David Hamilton: D Coming off of a surprisingly good 2024, there were high expectations for Hamilton in being the team’s utility infielder entering 2025, to the point there were discussions of even having him take reps in the outfield to get more at-bats as well. That never came to be, but 2025 was not the season anyone expected for Hamilton. Appearing in 91 games, Hamilton would see his time in Boston broken up by stints with the Worcester Red Sox, as he was optioned on July 11 and then again on August 11. Overall, Hamilton would go on to hit .198/.257/.333 with four doubles, a triple, six home runs, 19 RBIs and 22 stolen bases. All of that was a decline from his 2024 numbers of .248/.303/.395 with 17 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and 33 stolen bases in just seven more games. The only real positive offensively is that in 29 second-half games, he started to perform better by hitting .241/.317/.463 with an OPS of .780. Hamilton also had a double, a triple, three home runs, seven RBIs and seven stolen bases in that span as he received more consistent playing time. Defensively, he appeared at second base in 68 games and committed six errors for a fielding percentage of .973. He also played 12 games at shortstop where he committed one error for a fielding percentage of .972. Hamilton finished the season with a fWAR of 0.1. Nathaniel Lowe: B- Lowe didn’t spend much time with Boston, but did he make it count. He immediately made quite a few fans within his first week with the team when he hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth of his first start. While the Red Sox would lose that game, Lowe continued to stay hot and opened his stint with Boston on a five-game hitting streak. In 34 games with Boston, the left-handed hitter would slash .280/.370/.420 with an OPS of .790 at a time when the lineup was scuffling due to injuries and poor performances. Lowe would also hit six doubles, a triple, two home runs, and have 16 RBIs in that same span Defensively, Lowe made 31 appearances at first base for Boston and made no errors. On the season, Lowe finished with a fWAR of 0.4 with the Red Sox. Nick Sogard: C+ Sogard didn’t spend much time in the big leagues, as he was mostly in Worcester for 2025, but he was a key contributor in his short stints on Alex Cora's bench. His final stint proved to be his best, as in his final 15 games, Sogard hit .295/.354/.409 with seven RBIs. Overall, Sogard hit .260/.317/.344 with eight doubles and nine RBIs. He was much more effective against left-handed pitching, hitting .371/.371/.486 with four doubles and two RBIs compared to .197/.290/.262 with four doubles and seven RBIs against right-handed pitching. Defensively, Sogard played all over the field for the Red Sox, making appearances at first base, second base, third base, shortstop and right field. He only made a single error at first base. And while postseason performances don’t add into consideration for the grades, there is no denying just how important Sogard was in the Game 1 victory against the Yankees, with a big hustle double that set up the game-winning hit for Masataka Yoshida. On the season, Sogard finished with a fWAR of -0.1. View full article

Not exactly. Reds and White Sox are in two different places. White Sox were in full rebuild and got three top 10 prospects (4th, 5th and 8th) along with our 18th ranked prospect. The Reds see their window as having cracked open and are looking to add pieces that could open that window more or extend it past the next 3-5 years. Right now Perales, Garcia and Clarke are our 3rd, 6th and 8th ranked prospects which wouldn't be enough for a starting pitcher on what is essentially 3/40M with a chance to be 4/60M. They also would probably want major league ready talent too and Clarke is some time away, likely late 2027/early 2028 should he work out and who knows how Perales holds up after all his career injuries. Plus they're looking for offense so they would probably want Abreu as well or maybe a Mayer. Someone they could plug into their lineup and upgrqde it.

Keep in mind that he’s under contract and for rather cheap money through 2028 along with a team option for 2029. The Reds would want a lot for 4 years of control. While I think 6 players is a lot, I think a trade for Greene would need more than what it took to get Crochet.

Much like the Boston Red Sox will be doing over the next few weeks in their internal evaluations, it's time to look back on the roster and see if players lived up to their expectations, exceeded them or fell flat. To start, we're going to look back upon the season the Boston Red Sox's catchers had in 2025. Overall, it was a rather good season for Boston backstops, as the Red Sox's main catching tandem stayed mostly healthy throughout the season. They only had one stint on the injured list, when Connor Wong fractured his pinkie on April 8 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He would go on to miss nearly a month, but then backup Carlos Narváez stepped up and won the starting spot for himself. Despite that, the second half saw a falloff in production from Narváez as he dealt with his own minor injury. Carlos Narváez: B+ Narváez earns a B+ for his season due to the fact he completely shattered expectations, and if it weren't for an end-of-season slump that can be attributed to fatigue and a small injury, he would have easily earned an A. Acquired from the Yankees the same day the Red Sox traded for Garrett Crochet, Narváez was viewed as a defensive-minded backup to Wong who was coming off an impressive (though very lucky) 2024 season. At the time of the trade, Narváez had just 15 plate appearances in the majors, and no one knew what to expect from him. In our TalkSox 2025 position analysis, we wrote the following about Narváez: “If his bat can be anything around league-average for a catcher, there's a chance he could even challenge Wong for the starting position by the end of the season”. Well, he did just that (and had some luck with Wong getting injured). In the first half, Narváez hit .273/.347/.439 with 18 doubles, eight home runs, and 31 RBIs, as he would eventually be asked to serve as the team’s cleanup hitter for a portion of the season. The second half didn't go as well, however, as Narváez felt the fatigue of being a starting catcher during a playoff run as the team attempted to limit his innings behind the dish. In 45 second half games, Narváez hit just .187/.233/.387 and saw his OPS drop from .786 in the first half to .619. Along with that he hit nine doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBIs. What really proved that he was pressing at the plate was the fact he went from 30 walks in the first half to just eight in his final 45 games. Overall, he would hit .241/.306/.419 with a .726 OPS across 403 at-bats in his rookie season. Narvaez would also finish with 27 doubles, 15 home runs and 51 RBIs. He also had a fWAR of 2.7. Defensively, Narváez did have some difficulty with catcher’s interferences, as he was called for it a few times. Luckily, he made up for it with a fielding percentage of .991 and by throwing out 32 runners. When it came to Fielding Run Value, Narváez was in the 95th percentile and was viewed as one of the better defensive catchers across the league. Following the end of the season, Narváez had minor surgery to clean up his left knee, an issue he was dealing with since at least August. Connor Wong: D+ Whereas everything went right for Wong in 2024, you could almost make the argument that 2025 was the complete opposite. In 2024, Wong ended up being one of the luckiest hitters in the sport; his final slash line of .280/.333/.425 with an OPS of .758 went with 24 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 54 RBIs, despite all of his peripherals showing that it shouldn’t have happened. His expected batting average that season was .231 and his expected slugging was .355. Paired with near-bottom-of-the-league exit velocity numbers (86.5 mph), hard-hit rate (34.5%), and squared-up rate (21.3%), a regression was expected for Wong in 2025. No one expected it to be this big, however. Wong began the season as the starting catcher but quickly lost it due to a fracture to his pinkie on his left hand after getting hit on the glove by a swing during an April 8 game against the Blue Jays. Wong would return May 2 but had already lost the starting spot to Narváez. He would play in 34 games in the first half, hitting just .149/.235/.149 with no extra base hits and just one RBI. His OPS during that span was .384. The second half didn’t get much better, as he would go on to hit .235/.292/.333 with an OPS of .625 in 29 games. In that same span, he had eight doubles and six RBIs—still not up to his 2024 production, but better than his first half. His luck happened to get even worse when he came up with runners in scoring position. In 40 games where he had a chance to drive someone in from second or third base, Wong would go on to hit .061, just 3-for-49 with five walks. He would go on to strike out 17 times while also hitting into four double plays, ruining plenty of scoring opportunities Wong did showcase some improvement elsewhere, as he cut back on his strikeout rate from 23.4% in 2024 to 22.3% in 2025, while his walk rate increased from 5.7% to 8.5%. Defensively, Wong did improve slightly, going from a FRV of -14 all the way up to -3 in 2025. However, he only threw out nine baserunners and committed more errors (five compared to four) in less games played (61 to 106). In fairness, a lot of Wong’s issues may have been due to injury. After returning from the fractured pinky, Wong did play slightly better in May in his small number of games. In 13 games, he would go on to hit .214/.290/.214, though without any extra-base hits. Then there was a chance he had played through part of the second half injured as well, as on October 9 it was revealed by MassLive’s Christopher Smith that he underwent a successful right hand carpal boss excision, making one wonder if he was dealing with that throughout the season. Wong finished the year with a fWAR of -0.7. Ali Sánchez: C There isn’t much to talk about regarding Sánchez. He was only with the team as an emergency third catcher when Narváez was originally dealing with his own health issues in early to mid-August and was designated for assignment just 10 days after joining Boston on August 18. In that span, he appeared in a single game with Boston, getting a single at-bat as a late-inning replacement in a game they were already losing. Sánchez would return to Boston soon after, being acquired in an August 31 deal with the New York Mets after being signed by them to a minor league contract on August 23. Boston would add him to their September roster to serve as the emergency third catcher in order to allow Alex Cora to be aggressive with replacing either Narváez or Wong early in the game. Sánchez would get into three games with Boston during his second stint with the team, again as a late-inning replacement each time, though he wouldn’t get into another game after September 13. On September 21, Sánchez was once again DFA'd and was outrighted to Worcester on the September 23, where he stayed for the rest of the season in case he was needed for the playoffs. That wasn’t the case, and on October 6, he elected free agency. Sánchez didn’t exactly due much during his two stints in Boston, but he filled his role as well as he could in his limited opportunities. A perfectly average grade for a perfectly average performance. Blake Sabol: F Sabol, who was designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants on January 11, was brought in to serve as catching depth alongside fellow catcher Seby Zavala. Unlike Zavala, however, Sabol did get brought up to the major league club and had some time in Boston following Wong’s injury. To say it was a good time would be a lie. Sabol very much proved the scouting reports correct in that he was a first baseman/corner outfielder who plays catcher as his main position. Sabol would get to play eight games with Boston, and was it a good thing when his time with the team ended. In that short stint, Sabol hit .125/.167/.188 with one double and one RBI. He struck out at a 38.9% rate and defensively he was even worse. Eleven baserunners attempted to steal on him... only one was thrown out. Along with that, in only 39 innings behind the dish, Sabol committed two errors. Once Wong was ready to return, Sabol was optioned back to Worcester and remained there until being traded to the White Sox for cash on July 12, over a month after being designated for assignment on June 1. Fortunately for the Red Sox, the team did not need to rely too on much catching depth thanks to the sustained health of Narváez and Wong. While the latter didn’t have a season anyone expected, the former was able to exceed expectations and help hold down the catcher’s spot in the lineup. The 2026 season will hopefully see both catchers reprise their roles and take a step forward in their development and help strengthen that position within the organization. View full article

With the offseason having begun for the Boston Red Sox, the organization now needs to make tough decisions pertaining to its roster. One of which involves a former All-Star and a key component of their rotation, Tanner Houck. Houck, a first-round draft pick in 2017, has been a part of Boston’s pitching plans since 2020, when he first made his MLB debut. Since that time, Houck has bounced between the rotation and bullpen depending on the team’s need, even serving briefly as the team’s closer before getting shut down in 2022 due to a back issue. After dealing with injuries in every season since 2021, Houck appeared to finally break out and put everything together in 2024, when he made the All-Star team and became the ace of the rotation as the team tried to claw its way into the playoffs. The future seemed bright for both Houck and the team once he was paired with Garrett Crochet as the team’s 1-2 punch in the rotation last winter. Unfortunately, that vision never came to fruition, as Houck began the 2025 season incredibly ineffective and inconsistent before going on the injured list. In nine starts, Houck allowed 39 earned runs on 57 hits, 10 of them home runs, and 17 walks. Opponents' batting average against ballooned from .230 in 2024 to .315 in 2025. Houck attempted to work his way back from injury in 2025, but upon completing his rehab, he was still in pain, and it was revealed that his flexor strain had turned into a need for surgery. On August 2, Houck would undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2025 season and costing him (more than likely) his 2026 campaign. Because of this, the Red Sox have a decision to make. Houck is still under arbitration for both the 2026 and 2027 seasons, but will be unlikely to pitch in the former while the latter is very likely headed to a shortened season due to a potential lockout. Does it make sense in that case for the Red Sox to non-tender the right-hander instead of offering arbitration? For 2025, Houck made $3.95 million and will be unlikely to receive any notable increase for 2026 knowing he would be out for the entire season. There's a chance they could instead have his salary be decreased by the maximum 20% in the arbitration process, but even then they would be paying around $3.2 million for a player to rehab. With these Red Sox, that isn't out of the realm of possibility considering they've signed players to multi-year deals who they knew they would miss most or all of the first season of a contract. Patrick Sandoval and Liam Hendriks are prime examples, and it would be a tough look for the Red Sox to non-tender a homegrown player due to injury while having signed injured players in the past so they could rehab within the organization. Because of that, the Red Sox would be wise to follow a format used previously by themselves when it comes to signing injured pitchers. Take both Hendrik’s contract and Sandoval’s contract into account, where both players were signed to multi-year deals that were heavily backloaded. In Hendrik’s case, he received a guaranteed $10 million across two years with the chance for it to increase to $20 million across three years. The contract worked with him receiving $2 million in the first season (which he missed) and then $6 million this season, with a mutual option for $10 million for next season or a $2 million buyout. Had Hendrik's time in Boston worked out, the team would have gotten an elite back-of-the-bullpen arm on a rather cheap deal. Instead, Hendriks was often injured and when he did pitch, he was mostly ineffective on the mound. Sandoval, on the other hand, was signed to a two-year, $18.25 million contract despite having Tommy John surgery in 2024 and missed all of 2025. He received $5.5 million this season and will now earn $12.75 million in 2026 as the Red Sox hope he proves the contract was worth it. The Red Sox would be smart to try and work out a similarly structured deal with Houck, especially knowing the talent he has shown signs of when healthy. It would be worth an attempt to try and sign Houck to something similar to Hendricks' three year deal with the third year being a mutual option or even a vesting option based on either innings or appearances in 2027. It would allow the Sox to keep Houck around for a few more seasons at a reasonable price as he rehabs, while not delaying the right-hander's free agency too far out. Even if he fails to reach his 2024 self and instead pitches to his career averages, that's still a guy with a 22.4% strikeout rate and 3.97 ERA. Of course, the team could just non-tender him and look to bring him back on a minor league deal, though Houck may seek out other major league opportunities in that case. In the end, it's completely up to Craig Breslow and the team to decide what course of action they'll take, but they currently have multiple options and paths to look at for the 29-year-old pitcher. Whether Houck is in the organization by the end of the offseason is something they will have thought about long and hard before deciding either way. Though one thing about Breslow is that he's shown no hesitation to moving players who have been part of the organization if he thinks the Red Sox will be a better team without them. View full article

With the minor league season well in the rearview mirror, it’s time to recognize the best relief pitchers within the Red Sox's organization. Over the last six months, players performed in hopes of showcasing their talents and possibly getting promoted to the next level on their way to the major leagues. Given the manner that developing pitchers are utilized (some starting and coming out of the bullpen or even a starter being a piggyback guy for a rehab appearance), the only qualification to be eligible for the award is that the majority of their appearances had to be out of the bullpen. So, say a pitcher appeared in 25 games and made 14 starts—they would not be eligible for this award. Without that cleared up, let’s recognize the three best minor league relievers in the Red Sox’s organization this season. #3) RHP Yovanny Cruz (Portland): 34 games, 2 wins, 3.03 ERA, 6 saves, 59 1/3 innings, 72 strikeouts Cruz rebounded in impressive fashion after his last attempt at Double-A. In 2024, he spent the season with Double-A San Antonio in the San Diego Padres’ organization and struggled to the tune of a 4.55 ERA in just 23 games. After becoming a free agent, he signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox and spent all but the final week of the season with Portland. In that final week, he was promoted to Worcester but did not pitch in a game. In 34 games with Portland this year, Cruz tossed 59 1/3 innings and was on the mound for the final inning in 22 of those appearances, as he earned six saves. While Cruz was good for 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings, he unfortunately walked 44 batters as well. Fortunately for Cruz, many of them did not come around to score. Cruz threw three different pitches, led by a fastball that topped out at 100 mph, though he still lacks command with his signature offering. In addition, he features a breaking ball that sometimes appears like multiple types of pitches given its spin rate, and a changeup that he rarely used. Should Cruz be able to throw strikes more consistently, he could put himself on the MLB radar as soon as next year. #2) RHP Cooper Adams (Greenville/Portland): 31 games, 4 wins, 2.73 ERA, 69 1/3 innings, 80 strikeouts Adams ended up having an interesting season in the minors in 2025, thanks in part to a fantastic showing with Double-A Portland. Spending most of his season with High-A Greenville, Adams didn’t really do much besides strike out a lot of batters. Now 25 years old, he had a 3.95 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP while allowing nearly nine hits per nine innings in High-A. However, in those 43 1/3 innings he pitched, he managed to strike out 55 batters for a strikeout per nine innings of 11.4. Promoted to Double-A Portland in the middle of July, Adams seemed to flip a switch, as he looked like a completely different pitcher. Tossing at least two innings in each appearance, Adams would go on to finish his time with Portland with a 0.69 ERA in 26 innings across 10 appearances. His strikeouts did dip however, down to a strikeout per nine innings of 8.7. Adams, an undrafted free agent, has four pitches: his fastball which can reach 98 mph, a slider with inconsistent shape, a curveball with an 11-to-5 attack angle, and his changeup that he has confidence in. Overall, Adams is off the prospect radar due to his age and role, though he proved in 2025 that he shouldn't be counted out just yet. He did get promoted to Worcester following the end of Portland’s season, though he failed to get into a game. #1) RHP Isaac Stebens (Greenville): 38 games, 6 wins, 2.15 ERA, 9 saves, 50 1/3 innings, 59 strikeouts Stebens, a 16th-round pick in 2023 out of Oklahoma State University, put together the best season for a reliever in the Red Sox’s organization this year. After pitching in 29 games for Greenville in 2024, Stebens reported back to High-A for the 2025 season where he more or less became the unofficial closer, leading the team with nine saves. He ended up being the final pitcher on the mound for Greenville in 31 of his 38 appearances, showcasing the trust that the Drive had in him for late-game situations. With a strikeout per nine of 10.5, Stebens showed an ability to generate strikeouts when needed, thanks in part to his arsenal of pitches made up of a fastball that can top out at 95 mph, a sweeper that he can land in the zone with consistency, and his developing changeup, which is his weakest pitch at present. Currently, Stebens has shown bat-missing ability with his fastball and sweeper that could make him a useful organizational arm or even an emergency call-up, but should he develop better command, he could end up being a valuable relief prospect thanks to his deceptive delivery. Next up for Stebens is participating in the Arizona Fall League. What do you think? Do you agree with the choices, or do you feel someone got snubbed? Leave your thoughts below in the comments! View full article