The Red Sox’s quick 2025 playoff exit was predictable the second Rafael Devers was traded.
Devers’ absence was hidden for a time, though. Roman Anthony, overperforming hitters behind him, and a good pitching staff helped mask the void.
But there were warning signs. Among them, the post-Raffy Sox lineup struggled against quality-to-elite starting pitching.
Then, the overperformers inevitably fell off. Players returning from injury underperformed, and other injuries emerged. The 2025 post-Raffy Red Sox lineup was finally exposed for what it was once Roman got hurt.
After Roman’s injury, Boston fell apart, and their lineup struggled to score, seemingly unable to hit anyone. But it did tease us for the last couple of weeks.
The Red Sox’s 2025 American League Wild Card loss to the Yankees knocked everyone back to reality.
It wasn’t just their offense that booted Boston from the playoffs early, but it sure was a big reason.
The absence of Raffy hits harder now, knowing what’s ahead for this team this winter.
Craig Breslow just had to create a completely unnecessary situation with Devers, huh? And all for a guy in Alex Bregman who was never guaranteed to be in Boston beyond 2025.
The 2025 Red Sox could’ve had both Devers and Anthony anchoring their lineup for much of the season. Hell, they could’ve had Devers, Roman, and Bregman in the same lineup. But Breslow did what he did, and what happened, happened.
Sox brass have a big offseason ahead of them. They must replace the power they willingly gave up, yet desperately needed down the stretch. And they could enter 2026 with none of the players they created that mess for, and then some.
Red Sox Entered 2025 Playoffs Lacking Impact After Rafael Devers Trade and Roman’s Injury Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:’8OlMFaP6SB1pTMtmza047w’,sig:’i9HRTBIAFWKWDiN24l6TwaqeHYw7wB63YDQbfeN8ydo=’,w:’950px’,h:’450px’,items:’2232832376′,caption: true ,tld:’com’,is360: false })});
Once Roman Anthony got hurt, the Red Sox had no consistent impact bat—and it showed.
Team Offensive Splits 9/3 to 9/18: Scored three runs or fewer in six of 13 games. Boston hit .244 with a .679 OPS and an 83 wRC+. They were 25th in runs scored (50). With runners in scoring position, they hit .234 with a .604 OPS and a 59 wRC+.9/19 to 9/28: Scored four or more runs in six of their final nine games. They hit .261 with a .716 OPS and a 97 wRC+. They were 11th in runs scored (41). With runners in scoring position, the Sox hit .299 with a .749 OPS and a 108 wRC+. Last 41 games overall: Scored three runs or fewer in 20 games. Boston hit .254 with a .712 OPS and a 95 wRC+, ranking 22nd in runs scored (173). With runners in scoring position, they hit .245 with a .684 OPS and an 86 wRC+. A.L. Wild Card Series vs the Yankees: Scored six runs in three games, leaving 21 runners on base. The Red Sox hit just .198 with a .541 OPS, a 54 wRC+. They had four extra base hits, including one home run. Boston was 4-for-15 w/RISP during the three-game series.
Players like Trevor Story and Romy Gonzalez kept their seasons rolling through September. Others fell off a cliff, and some others stepped up as much as they could.
Key September Players Nate Eaton: Hit .370 with a .898 OPS and a 151 wRC+ in 22 September games. Nick Sogard: Hit .294 with a .697 OPS and an 89 wRC+ in 12 September games. Jarren Duran: Hit .227 with a .716 OPS and a 100 wRC+ over his final 42 games. Alex Bregman: From 8/23 through the end of the season, Bregman hit .180 with a .536 OPS and a 48 wRC+. A stark drop off from the .325 average, .925 OPS, and 155 wRC+ he had from 7/11 to 8/22. Nathaniel Lowe: Hit .245 with a .656 OPS and a 79 wRC+ over his final 18 games of ’25. In his first 16 games with the Red Sox, Lowe hit .319 with a .942 OPS and a 155 wRC+. Ceddanne Rafaela: From 8/5 to 9/14, Ceddanne hit just .153 with a .472 OPS and a 28 wRC+. The rest of ’25, Rafaela hit .364 with a .927 OPS and a 155 wRC+.
Wilyer Abreu was on the injured list from 8/21 to 9/21.
Masataka Yoshida didn’t do much until mid-September. Yoshida hit .383 with a .967 OPS and a 160 wRC+ in his final 12 games.
The Red Sox were ninth in MLB in home runs pre-Devers trade, dropping to 23rd post-trade.
By the time the Red Sox began their 2025 playoff run, the absence of Rafael Devers was undeniable. Poor baserunning, defensive lapses, and fundamental mistakes only compounded the offensive decline.
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Immediately following the Devers trade on 6/15, the Red Sox went 3-7, scoring three runs or less in all seven losses.
Red Sox brass seemingly gave up on 2025 completely and any hope of a playoff run by trading Rafael Devers. Then, Boston’s lineup got hot for the next six weeks before cooling off.
From 6/28 through 9/2, Boston scored three runs or fewer in only 20 of 57 games. They hit .268 with a .789 OPS and 115 wRC+, ranking fourth in runs scored (316). With runners in scoring position, they hit .271 with a .847 OPS and 127 wRC+.
The Sox went 38–19 during that stretch, including a 10-game winning streak. But from 8/13 on, they scored three runs or fewer in 11 of their next 19 games.
Key Players to the IllusionRoman Anthony: Hit .329 with a .930 OPS and 158 wRC+ from 6/28 until his injury. Trevor Story: Hit .289 with an .827 OPS, and 124 wRC+ from 6/1 on. Ceddanne Rafaela: From 5/26 to 8/4, Ceddy hit .305 with an .889 OPS and a 145 wRC+.Romy Gonzalez: Post-Raffy, Romy hit .298 with an .814 OPS and 119 wRC+ Jarren Duran: Hit .299 with a 1.013 OPS and 173 wRC+ from 6/29 to 8/12. Wilyer Abreu: Hit .252 with an .844 OPS and 126 wRC+ from 6/30 to 8/17.
Even winning, Boston’s lineup hit just .205 with a .591 OPS against some of the better starters in MLB.
Red Sox Quick 2025 Playoff Exit: Time to Spend Rafael Devers’ Money Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:’lyBQq3BCRF5JABCHvpie5Q’,sig:’Tlz-ba52aw0UbcdJsWDJWBYy9w-Yf3R7VDJ4xYxsX8A=’,w:’950px’,h:’450px’,items:’2237027044′,caption: true ,tld:’com’,is360: false })});
The Red Sox’s 2025 playoff performance showed they can’t win with only Roman Anthony anchoring their lineup post-Rafael Devers.
Rafael Devers was that second anchor.
Before Devers’ trade, he was first on the Red Sox in on-base percentage, walk rate, doubles, home runs, and RBI. And he was second in slugging percentage, OPS, wRC+, and hits.
Yes, Boston technically won more games post-Devers. But it wasn’t because the offense was better.
Now, with Bregman expected to opt out, the Raffy situation looks even worse. Bregman’s post-injury decline could make Boston second-guess a reunion. If he leaves, the Sox could enter 2026 without a single player tied to the Raffy drama.
How pathetic that would be.
Had they worked it out with Raffy, both he and Roman could’ve anchored Boston’s lineup for years to come.
Instead, the Red Sox face an offseason in which they must address lineup weaknesses of their own making, among other things.
Featured Image Credit: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
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