The 2026 Red Sox season ended last night in the Bronx with a 9-2 loss, one night after a 9-0 loss in the same building. That's 18 runs allowed in two games, and a Wild Card Series that was never really close. It's a rough way for an 87-win season to end, and a strange morning to launch a Red Sox blog. We picked it anyway, because the winter is when next year's team gets built.
What 2026 actually was
The final line: 87-75, third in the AL East, 11 games behind a Tampa Bay team that won 98. The Sox outscored opponents by 78 runs and got into the postseason as a Wild Card, three games clear of the next team out. That's a good team that wasn't good enough to stay in October very long.
Sonny Gray went 18-5 with a 2.72 ERA over 169 innings. Payton Tolle, barely a year past his big-league debut, struck out 171 in 148 2/3 innings. Willson Contreras hit 27 home runs with a .902 OPS, the best on the team among regulars.
The home record is harder to explain. The Red Sox went 41-40 at Fenway, and a team that wants to win this division has to do better than .500 in its own park.
That gives us plenty to watch this winter. Gray can't carry the rotation alone, the lineup needs more than Contreras, and we'll find out how much the front office is willing to change.
What this site is
The Red Sox Report is an independent fan blog with no connection to the team or NESN. We want a Red Sox site that argues a point and shows its work.
Every recap makes one argument about what the game showed and backs it up, since the box score is already everywhere. The stats come from MLB's own data and Statcast, and when a writer or a fan makes a claim, we check the numbers before we repeat it.
On game days, the preview asks one question the game will answer and makes a pick. The recap answers that question and grades the pick, including when we're wrong.
The roster covers all 40 men with this season's numbers and career stats. The schedule has every game in Eastern time, with TV, results, and a calendar file you can add to your phone.
We'll also follow the parts of the organization that shape next year before most people notice: transactions, the 40-man crunch, Worcester, and the prospects pushing for a job.
Why start now
Free agency, trades, non-tender decisions, and spring training invites all happen before a pitch is thrown, so we're building through the winter. Expect offseason coverage now, and the full game-day setup in place before pitchers and catchers report.
New posts show up in the RSS feed as soon as they go live.