5 bold predictions that could define the Red Sox’s 2025 season ft. Garrett Crochet winning the Cy Young

The Boston Red Sox finished exactly .500 last year. They were only briefly in the playoff race, and they've been active this offseason to fix that. Here are five bold predictions for what 2025 holds for the team.

---

Bold predictions for the Boston Red Sox

5) Masataka Yoshida breakout

Masataka Yoshida is poised for a breakout (Imagn)

Masataka Yoshida looked poised for big things in his rookie season. What was initially considered a massive overpay looked to be a bit of a bargain for the Japanese superstar.

Things tapered off in 2024, though. He had a 0.8 fWAR and wasn't very good offensively. However, we're predicting a big breakthrough for Yoshida. If the Red Sox are going to be good, they're going to need him, especially after losing Tyler O'Neill. Look for 33 home runs and a 4.5 fWAR for Yoshida.

---

4) 8.5 fWAR for Jarren Duran

Jarren Duran is on the upswing (Imagn)

Jarren Duran truly broke out during the 2024 season, becoming a good hitter, defender and baserunner. A 6.7 fWAR season was wholly unexpected, and it figures to be the peak of his powers.

However, with a stronger team around him, Duran could continue to grow and get better. It wouldn't be a surprise if he ended up in MVP talks with a truly impressive fWAR total. Last year, he was among the top 10 in fWAR, and this year, he could be even better.

---

3) Garrett Crochet will win the Cy Young

Garrett Crochet will win the Cy Young (Imagn)

Garrett Crochet was top five in fWAR among AL pitchers for a long time last season. It's not a stretch to say that a full season with a better supporting offense and stronger defense will lead to even better numbers across the year in Boston.

With that in mind, a Cy Young is easy to envision. The AL is kind of wide-open in that regard, and Crochet's best rivals that of anyone else in the league. If he can put it all together, this might not even be that bold of a take.

---

2) An AL East crown

The Boston Red Sox will win the AL East (Imagn)

Going from a .500 team to the top of a pretty solid division is hard to imagine, but Boston can do it. The Baltimore Orioles stagnated, and it's hard to tell if the New York Yankees are truly better than they were last year.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays haven't gotten better, and Boston has. It added to its pitching staff and now have arguably the best pitcher in the division. A crown isn't that far-fetched.

---

1) Rafael Devers will win MVP

Rafael Devers will win the MVP (Imagn)

It's hard to imagine someone besides Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., or even Gunnar Henderson winning the MVP in the AL. Jose Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Brent Rooker, and several others could also be in the race, so Rafael Devers has his work cut out for him on that one.

Devers is a pretty rough defender, so he'll need to shore that up. If he can, his offensive ability is up there with a lot of players and he's never really had injury issues. It'll be a career-best year if he does win, but he's more than capable of putting up excellent offensive numbers in any given year.