How would a team made up entirely of former Red Sox look in 2026?

"Boston has made plenty of high-profile roster decisions over the last seven years, from shocking trades to allowing notable players to hit free agency and leave the team. Not all moves have been bad, and Boston has its fair share of notable acquisitions as well; its trade for ace Garrett Crochet comes to mind. But as the Red Sox continue to struggle in 2026, all of their front office blunders are even more glaring."

"I'm looking at a random grouping of starting pitchers. Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Kyle Harrison, Michael Wacha, and Nathan Eovaldi have combined for a 2.74 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 39 starts this year, averaging six innings per start. #random- Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) May 13, 2026"

"Which got us thinking, just how much greener could the grass have been on the other side of major front office decisions? Could a team constructed only of former Red Sox players be more competitive than the current 2026 Red Sox? Of course, there are some obvious caveats: all front office moves build on each other, so even if Boston wanted to, retaining every single player in this theoretical lineup would be essentially impossible."

"Additionally, some of the Red Sox current assets would not be on the team if some of these moves hadn't been made. Boston couldn't have acquired Crochet, for example, without giving up a top prospect in Kyle Teel. With that being said, here's what a team of former Red Sox would look like in 2026:"

Boston made multiple high-profile roster decisions over seven seasons, including trades and letting notable players reach free agency. Some moves improved the roster, such as acquiring ace Garrett Crochet, but struggles in 2026 make front-office mistakes more noticeable. Five former Red Sox starting pitchers have combined for a sub-3.00 ERA this season, totaling a 2.74 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP across 39 starts while averaging six innings per start. The idea is that a hypothetical 2026 team built only from former Red Sox players might perform better, though roster construction would be constrained because moves depend on each other and certain assets would not exist without earlier trades.

Read at Boston.com