Boston Red Sox
Boston lands within the high 10 throughout most preseason MLB energy rankings.
After wrapping up spring coaching with a loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox now flip their consideration to Opening Day, the place they’ll face the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
With the 2026 MLB season set to start, main shops have launched their preseason energy rankings — and Boston persistently finds itself within the high 10.
No. 8 in The Ringer
Of their power rankings released Tuesday, The Ringer positioned the Pink Sox at No. 8, slotting them between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs.
The Ringer’s Anthony Dabbundo highlighted Boston’s revamped beginning rotation, that includes Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Johan Oviedo alongside Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello.
“It’s a very good mixture of pitching profiles, which ought to assist remedy the pitching depth points the Pink Sox struggled with for parts of final 12 months,” Dabbundo wrote.
Offensively, Boston reshaped its roster, transferring on from Alex Bregman and including gamers like Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras.
Dabbundo wrote that Boston is “nonetheless much less gifted than Toronto and New York,” however the gifted youth on the crew “may change the A.L. East hierarchy in a flash.”
No. 8 in The Athletic
The Athletic also ranked the Pink Sox No. 8, pointing to a roster loaded with expertise however potential lineup challenges.
“There’s no doubting that the Pink Sox have a whole lot of good gamers,” The Athletic’s Tim Britton wrote. “It’s price questioning whether or not they can all be on the sector on the identical time.”
Britton cited Boston’s depth in each the outfield and beginning rotation, whereas projecting a 60% likelihood to achieve the postseason.
No. 9 in ESPN
In ESPN’s power rankings, the Pink Sox checked in a single spot decrease at No. 9, with a projected file of 87-75.
ESPN’s Jorge Castillo highlighted Roman Anthony’s fast rise, calling it a “meteoric ascension,” notably after his standout exhibiting within the World Baseball Traditional. The 21-year-old outfielder hit .292 with eight dwelling runs and a 140 OPS+ throughout his first stint within the majors earlier than an indirect pressure sidelined him late in 2025.
In the meantime, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle pointed to Garrett Crochet as a number one American League Cy Younger award candidate after an 18-5 season with a 2.59 ERA and 255 strikeouts.
No. 7 in Bleacher Report
The Pink Sox sit seventh within the Bleacher Report rankings. Sports activities author Joel Reuter highlighted the affect of the new-look rotation and the potential of Anthony.
“A full, wholesome season from Roman Anthony would have a much bigger affect than any exterior addition,” Reuter wrote. “He has the expertise to be a authentic A.L. MVP candidate in 2026.”
No. 7 in MLB.com
MLB.com’s rankings additionally positioned Boston at No. 7.
The league pointed to sturdy offensive showings within the World Baseball Traditional as a cause for optimism.
This included Anthony’s game-winning dwelling run for Group USA in a semifinal win over the Dominican Republic nationwide baseball crew. And in a match towards Mexico, Aaron Decide belted a two-run homer and Anthony hit a three-run homer within the third inning to energy Group USA to a 5-3 victory.
Boston Globe writers see playoff potential
Seven writers at The Boston Globe offered their predictions of Boston’s outlook. Whereas nobody predicted the Pink Sox to win the World Collection, six projected the crew would attain the postseason by way of the A.L. wild card.
Columnist Christopher Gasper was the lone holdout, leaving Boston out of his playoff area.
Three writers favored the Toronto Blue Jays, and one other three favored the New York Yankees to take the A.L. East title.
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