With financial flexibility, what will the Red Sox do next?

There was great anticipation for the 2025 season in Boston after the Red Sox orchestrated a trade for ace Garrett Crochet in December, then signed All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman shortly before the start of Spring Training.

With 76 games in the rear-view mirror and more than a half-season to play, the Red Sox are lingering around .500, firmly planted in the American League Wild Card race while also hanging around in the AL East.

Sunday’s trade of Rafael Devers didn’t make Boston a better team on the field; how could it? Taking one of the league’s top hitters out of your lineup without replacing him with another is not exactly a recipe for success.

But as a number of executives pointed out in the aftermath of the Devers trade, Boston – which is 39-37, 5 games back in the AL East and tied for the final Wild Card spot – has an opportunity to author a new chapter in this saga by reallocating the money it saved on Devers’ contract to bolster other areas of need on the roster.

“What the general public never factors into their knee-jerk trade reactions is what the teams trading away the large contract can now go do with those dollars,” an NL executive said hours after the trade. “Boston should go trade for someone like [Brewers first baseman] Rhys Hoskins right now. Then the deal takes on a whole new dimension.”

That got me thinking. What exactly should the Red Sox do with all that money?

Devers’ contract called for him to earn roughly $14 million for the rest of 2025, then $27.5 million in 2026, $31 million in each year between 2027-30, and $29 million per season from 2031-2033.

“I think we're absolutely going to look at the best use of those resources [from financial flexibility created by Devers trade] and could put them to use as early as the 2025 Trade Deadline,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said earlier this week, noting that the Devers trade is in no way a signal that Boston is “waving the white flag on 2025.”

Whether it’s bolstering their roster for this season or looking ahead to free agency, the Red Sox now have an opportunity to address other areas of need with the money they saved on Devers’ contract.

“Boston should be in position to hunt short-term upgrades to support their current 2025 team; players on expiring contracts with some dollars remaining tend to be accessible for a reasonable return if the acquiring team is willing to take on the dollars,” an NL executive said. “Boston can now leverage their newfound savings to pursue these types of opportunities across their roster.”

Not every executive around the league believes the Red Sox will dive into the trade market right away. With two highly touted rookies – Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer – filling out two key spots in the lineup (it was three before rookie Kristian Campbell was demoted to Triple-A), Boston could wait to see how the team is shaping up before making any further moves.

“I would wait and see what happens over the next couple of weeks,” an NL executive said. “Do the young players take a step forward and you win some games or do you need to retool for next year?”

Here are some thoughts on what could be next for Boston:

Trade for a first baseman

Boston’s first-base situation was the last straw in what had already become a strained relationship between Devers and the Red Sox, who were rebuffed by the slugger when he was asked to take grounders at first following Triston Casas’ season-ending knee injury.

Here’s how Boston’s first basemen rank in the American League this season:

HR: 8 (10th)
RBIs: 31 (11th)
AVG: .242 (10th)
OBP: .305 (10th)
SLG: .391 (9th)
OPS: .696 (9th)

Roughly one-third of that production (3 HR, 11 RBIs) came from Casas prior to his injury, though Casas had a paltry .580 OPS in 29 games, so it wasn’t as though he was tearing the cover off the ball.

Abraham Toro has been productive in his 26 games at first for the Sox, hitting four homers with 10 RBIs and an .830 OPS, but his track record makes it far from certain that he can keep that up for three-plus months.

There are a number of quality first-base options that could become available between now and July 31, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Red Sox add one of them prior to the Trade Deadline:

Josh Naylor, Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are in the thick of the postseason picture in the NL, but there’s a thought that general manager Mike Hazen could try to thread the needle between buying and selling between now and July 31. Naylor has nine home runs, 49 RBIs and an .830 OPS in 72 games, and is earning $10.9 million in his final year before free agency. If Arizona doesn’t believe it will re-sign him, he could be moved to free up money to spend elsewhere.

Rhys Hoskins, Brewers
Hoskins is earning $18 million this season and has an $18 million mutual option with a $4 million buyout, leaving him as a likely free agent after the season. The 32-year-old has 11 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .757 OPS in 71 games, but he’s hit at least 26 home runs in every full season during his career, has excellent plate discipline (92nd percentile in chase percentage and 78th percentile in walk percentage) and is an above-average defender.

Nathaniel Lowe, Nationals
Lowe’s $10.4 million salary is tops on the Nationals, and with one final year of arbitration left before free agency, that figure will only rise for 2026. Lowe has 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 75 games this season, though a recent slump (.616 OPS over the past month) has his OPS for the season down to .670. The 29-year-old (he turns 30 on July 7) also has recent postseason experience, helping the Rangers to the World Series title in 2023.

Ryan O’Hearn, Orioles
Possibly the best bat that could be moved this summer (now that Devers has been traded, anyway), O’Hearn has 10 home runs, 28 RBIs and an .862 OPS in 62 games this season, putting him on pace for a career year. The Orioles aren’t ready to declare themselves sellers just yet, but if Baltimore opts to sell, O’Hearn is one of a number of impending free agents that could be on the move.

Get some more pitching

The Red Sox haven’t reached the postseason since 2021 and have played into October only once since their 2018 World Series title year. Missing a fourth straight season would mark the first time that’s happened to Boston since 1991-94, so figuring out a way to return to the playoffs is important for the organization.

Adding Crochet was huge for the Red Sox, but the pitching staff needs more help. Boston’s 3.93 ERA ranks 10th in the AL, but the rotation’s 4.31 mark ranks 12th. Walker Buehler has been a disappointment, Tanner Houck has been unable to follow up his breakout 2024 season, and while Brayan Bello and Hunter Dobbins have performed admirably, the rotation must be addressed for the Sox to make a second-half charge.

To list every pitcher that might become available in the next month would take far too long, but it’s safe to say that a number of arms will be up for grabs. Whether it’s Sandy Alcantara, Zach Eflin, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Zack Littell or Freddy Peralta in the rotation or Kyle Finnegan, Dennis Santana, Jake Bird or David Bednar in the bullpen, pitching will be moving before July 31.

Prepare for free agency

Even if the Red Sox acquire players on expiring contracts this summer, there should be ample room in the payroll to get aggressive in free agency this offseason.

Kyle Tucker is going to be the crown jewel of the upcoming class, but other prominent free agents potentially include Pete Alonso, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and Bo Bichette.

Then, of course, there’s Bregman, who can opt out of the final two years of his three-year, $120 million deal with Boston to give free agency another try, searching for the long-term deal that evaded him last winter.

“They’re in a really interesting spot now,” an NL executive said. “They could look to take on an expiring contract at a high price point to get through the season and help them compete this year, while still having the financial means to attack a Kyle Tucker-type in the offseason. I think that newly found financial flexibility allows them a boatload of room to be creative.”