MLB Rumors: Red Sox Have Bold New Plan For Next Season

November 17, 2025 , ,
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora walks onto the field during 2025 game.

The Boston Red Sox are already built around a dominant back end with Aroldis Chapman closing games, yet they are still kicking around the idea of a full-on Red Sox super bullpen. 

According to multiple reports, Boston’s front office has discussed adding another high-leverage reliever to pair with Chapman and Garrett Whitlock, creating a late-inning gauntlet on top of an already elite relief group. The concept sits behind their bigger priorities of landing a starting pitcher and an infielder, but it is clearly on the table as Craig Breslow looks for different ways to prevent runs.

Red Sox Weigh ‘Super Bullpen’ Against Bigger Needs

Publicly, Breslow has stressed that upgrading the rotation and lineup comes first. With Garrett Crochet emerging as an ace, Brayan Bello and Connelly Early behind him, and big question marks after that due to injuries for Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval, the most straightforward fix is still more starting pitching. 

Breslow has also pointed to infield defense and run prevention as key areas, and he has every reason to feel comfortable with his current back-end duo after Chapman’s 1.17 ERA and Whitlock’s 2.25 mark helped Boston finish with one of the best bullpen ERAs in the league.

Even so, internal optimism has not stopped the club from quietly exploring a deeper late-inning mix similar to builds the San Diego Padres, New York Mets and New York Yankees have tried in recent years. 

Devin Williams, Edwin Díaz And A True Super Bullpen

If the Red Sox fully lean into the super bullpen idea, names at the top of the market make it very interesting. 

Edwin Díaz is believed to be seeking another five year, 100 million dollar type deal after a 1.63 ERA season with the Mets, which likely prices him out of Boston’s plans for now. Devin Williams, however, fits the rebound profile that could tempt them. His surface numbers with the New York Yankees in 2025 were rough at a 4.79 ERA, yet his strikeout rate, strikeout to walk ratio and underlying metrics still looked like the dominant arm that once fronted the Milwaukee Brewers’ late-inning machine with Josh Hader. 

Contract projections for Williams are all over the map, from a shorter one year bounce back deal to a multi year commitment in the upper eight figures, which could create an opening for a creative front office.

For the Red Sox, dropping an arm like Williams into a bullpen that already features Chapman and Whitlock would give them three former or current closer-caliber weapons to slam the door in October. 

It would also continue their recent trend of turning ex Yankees into key pieces, with Chapman, Whitlock and potentially Williams all trying to close out big games at Fenway Park. 

Breslow has made it clear that the rotation and an impact bat sit at the top of the winter checklist, but if the market breaks right, Boston’s quiet super bullpen concept might be the move that separates them in tight games next season.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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