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Salary caps? Lockouts? It’s a Major League mess. Here’s how it breaks down.
A looming MLB lockout pits the league against the Players Union over revenue gaps, a potential salary cap and a delayed season start. With negotiations stalled, the sport faces a shutdown on December 2, ending all trades, free‑agency moves and even holiday gifting. The article leans on ESPN’s breakdown to explain the financial divide and what it means for fans and the upcoming schedule.
Year One for ABS Challenges
ABS challenges wrap up their inaugural season with 10,557 attempts across MLB and a league‑wide 54% overturn rate. The Twins led with 450 challenges, while the Cardinals had the fewest at 285. Boston’s Red Sox made 336 challenges, overturning 184 calls for a 55% success rate—11th overall—but excelled in specific areas: catchers recorded 43 K‑flips (third in the league) and 14 BB‑flips (tied for sixth). Red Sox fielders posted a 61% success rate (9th), and the team was 63% effective in low‑leverage and 51% in high‑leverage situations, tying the Yankees for most high‑leverage attempts. Postseason challenge success rose to 62%, with batter challenges jumping to 63%.
Tolle a finalist for Rookie of the Year
Red Sox left‑hander Payton Tolle joins the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year finalists after a strong 2026 debut, posting 171 strikeouts, a 1.35 ERA+ and 148.2 innings. He competes with Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle and Guardians’ Parker Messick, with the winner set for Nov. 9. Tolle becomes the first Red Sox rookie honoree since Dustin Pedroia (2007). Meanwhile, manager Chad Tracy also lands on the AL Manager of the Year ballot, joining the league’s elite nominees. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected the finalists.
Abreu, Durbin, Rafaela are Gold Glovers for 2026
Wilyer Abreu, Caleb Durbin and Ceddanne Rafaela win the 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. It’s Abreu’s third straight, Rafaela’s second consecutive, and Durbin’s first – he topped AL third basemen with 13 defensive runs saved and becomes only the second Sox third baseman ever to earn the honor (after Frank Malzone in 1957‑59). The trio marks the Sox’s fifth season with three winners, matching the 2018 trio of Betts, Bradley Jr. and Kinsler. Chicago and Arizona each lead MLB with three Gold Glove recipients this year.
Wilbur Wood, 1941-2026
The Red Sox community mourns former pitcher Wilbur Wood (1941‑2026), who debuted with Boston in 1961 and later flourished with the Chicago White Sox. After Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm taught him the knuckleball, Wood posted four straight 20‑win seasons (1971‑74), a 2.86 ERA and three All‑Star nods, ranking third in White Sox appearances with 578 games. Post‑retirement, he ran a fish market in Massachusetts and largely left baseball behind. The article also notes the passing of eleven other ex‑Red Sox players this year.
Alex Cora to skip 2027
Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora tells the Phillies he will sit out the 2027 season, opting to collect the $7 million remaining on his Boston contract. Any earnings from another club would be deducted from that payout. Cora cites the uncertain labor climate and a potential lockout‑shortened season as factors, noting he could pivot to commentary if desired, but remains confident he’ll land a managerial role when ready. He also reveals personal news: he and fiancée Angelica Feliciano plan to marry next month and are parents to twins Xander Gabriel and Isander Manuel.
Red Sox VP to run Athletics
Boston senior vice president and assistant GM Taylor Smith, a 31‑year‑old math and stats specialist with seven years at the Rays, has been hired as the Athletics’ new president of baseball operations. Smith becomes the youngest top executive in MLB as the A’s gear up for their inaugural Las Vegas season in 2028, with a new ballpark under construction on the Strip. The article also notes Las Vegas’ growing sports scene—including the Raiders, Golden Knights and future NBA team—and warns visitors to expect heavy traffic and rely on Uber or walking.
Facing facts, Breslow warns against Sox complacency
Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow uses the season‑end press conference to warn against off‑season complacency despite a postseason berth. He praises Boston’s Top‑10 offensive rankings but highlights defensive lapses, noting the MLB‑worst 116 errors and a league‑lowest strike‑out rate with runners in scoring position. While manager Alex Cora points to the team’s 31 Defensive Runs Saved (11th in MLB), Breslow stresses the need for improvement. He also updates on key players: Alex Bregman’s pending free‑agency talks, Triston Casas’ expected full recovery, Carlos Narváez’s meniscus surgery, and Kristian Campbell’s promising offseason work. Rookie pitcher Connelly Early receives a boost after his Wild Card start. Breslow’s candid take signals a proactive approach for a stronger 2026 campaign.
Facing facts, Breslow warns against Sox complacency
Count me pleasantly surprised by a little accountability, finally, from the Red Sox front office. In the annual end-of-season press conference on Monday, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, while proud to have reached the postseason, was also clear about the team’s shortcomings. Breslow said that for a deeper drive into the postseason, the […] The post Facing facts, Breslow warns against Sox complacency appeared first on RSNStats .
Blue Skies
RSNStats marks a year on Bluesky, using the platform to stream Red Sox game stats alongside other baseball coverage. The post guides newcomers on accessing Bluesky via its app, web (bsky.app), or third‑party deck.blue, and offers practical tips: cleaning up the timeline, enabling two‑factor authentication, and converting starter packs into lists. It also shares a curated roster of must‑follow Red Sox and broader baseball accounts, from Rob Bradford and Tom Caron to Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark. Frequent updates will keep fans informed on maximizing their Bluesky experience.
Blue Skies
RSNStats has been on Bluesky for about a year now. The live stream of stats during Red Sox games appeared there, as on X/Twitter and Mastodon, all throughout the 2024 season. Recently, Bluesky has heated up, with tons of new folks joining. I’ve been thrilled to be a part of that and to participate in […] The post Blue Skies appeared first on RSNStats .
Sox season ends where it began
The Red Sox finish the 2024 campaign exactly where they started—at a .500 mark. After a hopeful 53‑43 pre‑All‑Star stretch, Boston went 28‑38 in the second half, slipping to a third‑place finish in the AL East with an 81‑81 record, their 25th .500 season. Strong starting pitching (3.81 ERA, 1.191 WHIP) contrasts with a struggling bullpen (worst AL BAA at .259, 80 home runs allowed) and a league‑worst 115 errors that produced 95 unearned runs. The team missed the postseason for the fifth time in six years, posting a losing home record (38‑43) and a 21‑25 interleague mark, extending a rare streak of interleague losses. The article breaks down these highs and lows and what they mean for Boston’s future.
Sox season ends where it began
Every spring, at 0-0 before Opening Day, hope is the common denominator for all baseball teams. Hope that this will be the year. But the Red Sox didn’t start with reasonable expectations of going all the way in 2024. No doubt, there was hope in corners of Sox Nation, but Vegas oddsmakers back in February […] The post Sox season ends where it began appeared first on RSNStats .
Duran Sees 20/20
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran joins an elite club with his first career 20/20 season, posting 21 home runs and 34 steals as of Sept. 27, 2024. He becomes the 10th player in Boston history to achieve the feat and the first Red Sox 20/20 campaign since Mookie Betts in 2018. Duran is one of 19 MLB players reaching 20/20 this year, tying the 2023 record for most such players in a season. The article also recounts the franchise’s 13 previous 20/20 seasons, highlighting legends like Jackie Jensen, Carl Yastrzemski, and Betts, and notes rare instances of multiple Red Sox achieving 20/20 in the same year.
Duran Sees 20/20
Among his many feats this year, Jarren Duran notched his first career 20/20 season, with 21 home runs and 34 stolen bases as of this writing. It is the first 20/20 Boston campaign since Mookie Betts in 2018 (32 home runs, 30 stolen bases). Duran is one of 19 Major Leaguers to reach a 20/20 […] The post Duran Sees 20/20 appeared first on RSNStats .
Sox Eliminated, Again
For the third consecutive year, the Boston Red Sox are out of the playoffs, eliminated after a loss in their final road game on September 25, 2024. A severe offensive slump since August 9 dropped their slugging percentage to .377, ending any chance for the third Wild Card spot. The three‑year drought ties the club’s longest playoff absence in three decades, matching 2010‑12 and 2000‑02. Historically, Boston has missed the postseason 48 of 48 years from 1919‑66, with only one World Series appearance in 1946. The Red Sox have 25 postseason berths and nine World Series titles, the third most in MLB history.
Sox Eliminated, Again
For a third straight year the Red Sox have been eliminated from postseason play. It happened Wednesday with a loss in the team’s final road game of the season. Boston was essentially out of the race much earlier, of course, in large measure due to a bizarrely long late-season offensive slump that kept them from […] The post Sox Eliminated, Again appeared first on RSNStats .
Close Shaves
This time of year, as the runway of games left dwindles down, you especially rue the near-misses, the games that looked like wins but turned into losses. That was the case earlier this week when the Red Sox let a three-game sweep of the Rangers slip away in a back-and-forth affair that ended in a […] The post Close Shaves appeared first on RSNStats .
Spring Ahead To 2025
The Red Sox have announced their Spring Training slate for next season with the annual kickoff against the Northeastern University Huskies on Friday, February 21 at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida. The official spring slate, a total of 30 games, begins the next day with a road game against the Rays in Port Charlotte. […] The post Spring Ahead To 2025 appeared first on RSNStats .
Red Sox Miss Chance at Sweep
After getting two wins in the series, the Red Sox had a chance to win all three games against the Rangers, but missed out on Wednesday, dropping the final game 9-7 in ten innings. It was another wasted starting effort for the Sox and particularly for Tanner Houck, who allowed two earned runs over 6.2 […] The post Red Sox Miss Chance at Sweep appeared first on RSNStats .
Duran Named All-Star Game MVP
With a two-run, go-ahead blast for the American League, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran earned Most Valuable Player honors at the All-Star Game. Duran, playing in his first-ever ASG, is just the fifth Sox player to be named MVP joining Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (1970), Pedro Martinez (1999), as well as Roger Clemens (1986) […] The post Duran Named All-Star Game MVP appeared first on RSNStats .
Attendance Up Across MLB
Major League Baseball is trumpeting an uptick in attendance at baseball games so far this season, with average attendance reaching 26,927 per game through the end of April. It’s the best mark to that point in the season since 2017 and is a modest 0.9% uptick over 2023. The Dodgers led baseball in April with […] The post Attendance Up Across MLB appeared first on RSNStats .
RIP Larry Lucchino
Larry Lucchino, the former president of the Red Sox (2002-15), died on Tuesday at age 78. Lucchino, who once said he hoped his legacy would be that he “made a difference in the cities he lived in,” certainly lived up the claim. Across baseball tributes flowed in for the hard-charging baseball executive. So significant, it […] The post RIP Larry Lucchino appeared first on RSNStats .
Red Sox Split Opening Series
The Red Sox opened the 2024 regular season with a 10-game, west coast road trip starting with four games at the Seattle Mariners. After a win on Opening Day, they lost the next two games, but managed an Easter Sunday victory for a series split. Boston starting pitching was the highlight of the opening series. […] The post Red Sox Split Opening Series appeared first on RSNStats .