Jun 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Marcelo Mayer has both an opportunity and a challenge ahead of him this season.
As one of the Boston Red Sox’s former “big three” prospects, Mayer came into 2025 with high expectations. His play on the field was at least somewhat encouraging, but the fact that he suffered a season-ending injury for the third year in a row was highly troubling.
Mayer came up through the system as a shortstop, but mostly played third base in the majors before his wrist injury in July shut him down for the season. It appears Boston is committed to having Trevor Story continue to play shortstop early in the season, and that may be due in part to the concern about Mayer’s ability to stay on the field.
That notion was somewhat confirmed on Monday, when chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke at the Major League Baseball general manager meetings about what Boston needs to see from Mayer in 2026 and beyond.
“He needs to get bigger and stronger and be able to shoulder the workload of a full season,” Breslow said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “That’s what the conversations have centered around. To his credit, he’s committed to it.
“We’re really excited about what he’s going to become and what he’ll bring to spring training. In terms of identifying right now what his role might be, I think it’s probably a bit premature.”
Mayer hit .228 with a .674 OPS in his 44 major league games, hitting four home runs and striking out 41 times. His defense was highly impressive at third base, and he was starting to flash the leather a bit at second as well right before his injury.
Boston will happily allow Mayer to undergo some growing pains this year. The main issue is his ability to keep whatever role he gets and not force the Red Sox to go scrambling for a backup plan.
After his 23rd birthday next month, Mayer should head into the new year with as much motivation as anyone on the Red Sox to prove he belongs.
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wasted no time in outlining the team’s offseason plans, telling reporters that he wants to add an impactful hitter and a premier starting pitcher this winter.
Speaking at the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas, Breslow quickly made it clear that the Red Sox intend to be aggressive in the coming months. Boston is fresh off its first postseason appearance in four years and only its second since winning the 2018 World Series.
“There is just something about a bat in the middle of the lineup that forces another team to game plan against it that has a compounding effect on the rest of the roster,” Breslow said on Monday. “So we didn’t slug nearly as much as I think we can, or we will, and we’ll pursue opportunities to improve that.”
Breslow’s comments come less than five months after the team shockingly traded three-time All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Devers, who initially resisted moving from third base to DH after the team signed Alex Bregman, was in the third season of a 10-year, $313.5 million extension.
Devers hit .279 with 215 home runs, 696 RBIs, 273 doubles, and an .859 OPS in nine-plus seasons with the Red Sox. Boston acquired pitchers Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, along with minor-league pitcher Jose Bello and outfielder James Tibbs. The Red Sox later dealt Tibbs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Dustin May trade.
Notable free agent hitters include Bregman, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, and Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. The Red Sox are familiar with Schwarber, who spent the 2021 season’s final months in Boston following a trade with the Washington Nationals.
Breslow explained that while he believes in the Red Sox’s pitching depth, he wants to add a top-level starter behind All-Star ace Garrett Crochet. Houston Astros lefty Framber Valdez and San Diego Padres veteran Dylan Cease headline the top free-agent starters; Cease, a former teammate of Crochet’s with the Chicago White Sox, has two top-4 Cy Young finishes since 2022.
Additionally, Shota Imanaga, who posted a 3.28 ERA over 318 innings for the Chicago Cubs the last two years, recently opted out of his contract. However, Imanaga is entering his age-33 season and allowed 31 home runs in 25 starts. Alternatively, the Red Sox could try trading for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta or Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal.
“And trading away for really good young players for a starting pitcher is one way of pulling those wins forward,” said Breslow, who sent four prospects to the Chicago White Sox last offseason for Crochet. “And there are times we showed — last year being one of them — that you have to do that. But we also don’t want to be in a position where we’re having to do that year over year.”
FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Red Sox +1800 odds (bet $100 for a $1,900 payout) to win the World Series. That ranks fifth-best among American League teams and eighth leaguewide.