Red Sox Resolutions: New Year’s Resolutions for 2026

New Year’s Resolutions are a polarizing topic.

Some people love them, because it gives you a goal to achieve, and helps you start building towards something that normally helps you improve your life in some capacity, especially when it’s something related to your health.

Some people hate them, because it sets unrealistic expectations on themselves, which can unfortunately sink them into a dark path of bad self-esteem and self-hate.

As someone who was a part of a now very public weight loss journey, I can tell you this - just because the weight loss doesn’t start on January 1, doesn’t mean you need to abandon ship right away. These things take time. Creating habits and finding systems that work for you are both really difficult things to get going. You have to give yourself some grace with all of this.

I would like the Red Sox to apply this same logic.

Even if they don’t come out of the first week of January with a big name bat or another arm, that doesn’t mean they should give up on what should be one of their big resolutions for 2026.

Let’s dive into that list, from my perspective, of three New Year’s resolutions for the Red Sox this upcoming year, going from three to one:

3. Sign Alex Bregman

I’m not sure how many different versions of this blurb I can write this offseason without going crazy, but I’ll take another shot at it here.

We all know the story at this point - big free agent signing during spring training, was the reason Rafael Devers was asked to change positions, Devers’ pushback eventually led to him being dealt to the Giants, Bregman emerged as the unquestioned leader of the clubhouse, and despite missing a chunk of the season due to a quad injury was still among the best hitters in baseball at his position and was able to help deliver Boston’s first postseason berth since 2021. With all of that said, he still decided to opt out after his first season of a three-year deal, leaving $80 million on the table in search of a contract that will carry him to the end of his career.

While Boston has routinely been reported as being in the pole position for Bregman all hot stove season, rumors earlier this month from prominent baseball podcaster Jared Carrabis have raised doubt around the idea of the two-time World Series champion returning to the Red Sox to chase his third career ring.

“I don’t feel super great about Bregman coming back, but these things are always subject to change,” he wrote on X on December 16. “Bogaerts was pretty much a done deal to return until the Padres swooped in with a crazy offer. These situations are fluid. But, yeah. Doesn’t sound promising at the moment.”

Despite these whispers being floated by Carrabis, my gut tells me Bregman is back in Boston for 2026. With the team loudly swinging and missing on the likes of both Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, there’s plenty of money to go around still. And if Boston shows up to Opening Day 2026 with Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet as the only names worthy of the marquee, there might be paper bags over the heads of fans in the stands at Fenway Park.

I wish that was hyperbole - Red Sox fans are nuts.

They cannot miss here on Bregman. If they need to overpay, so be it. That’s how this whole thing works.

This really should be No. 1 on the list, to be honest. But I’ve written this so many times, I can bring myself to do it.

2. Trade Jarren Duran

Another common refrain for me this offseason has been me pleading the Red Sox to do something about their logjam in the outfield, with my main ask of them being, ‘Please trade Jarren Duran.’

Boston’s outfield is crowded by design:

- Roman Anthony is the future and already paid accordingly

- Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are controlled and elite defensively

- Masataka Yoshida is still on the books, and is essentially immovable

- Nate Eaton is in the mix as a depth piece

One of these pieces was always going to be movable, and that’s before we even talk about the merits of Duran as a trade chip. The 2024 All-Star Game MVP combines age, production, and control better than the rest.

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At 29, he’s proven yet young enough to help a contender for multiple seasons. His 2024 breakout was genuine, though 2025 brought regression. He’s not a star but is a true everyday outfielder with speed, pop, and a strong arm - a valuable asset, especially this offseason when bats are scarce and pitching is costly.

And that’s where the Red Sox reported over-valuation starts to make more sense.

The market is clear: to get a real starter, you pay up. Tampa’s haul from Baltimore for Shane Baz raised the bar, and shows teams rarely move controllable pitchers. Boston’s high asking prices reflect this reality.

The problem is, that reality cuts both ways.

Duran isn’t a defensive anchor - metrics confirm it. He helps, but doesn’t carry a position. Teams recognize this, and they know Boston isn’t desperate, so there’s little urgency.

The result: interest with no action, conversations with no progress. Heck, there’s a reason why reports like this one have been surfacing since early December.

These are the true tenets of the “Interest Kings,” really.

And that’s fine as it relates to Duran…for now.

The Red Sox don’t have to trade Duran this winter. With control through 2029, surplus is valuable - so long as Duran is content playing a platoon-like role. But to compete in the AL East in 2026, the rotation needs more certainty. Outside of Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, there’s still a lot up in the air.

The standoff ends with either a team paying up for Duran or Boston lowering its price. The Red Sox shouldn’t force a deal just to act, but they should be more willing to budge given what they’re expecting as a return ultimately feels unrealistic.

The Red Sox see Duran as an asset, not a problem - someone to move only for real value.

But if he’s just going to sit on your bench when you could have used him to help improve your pitching staff in a real way, that’s when the asset becomes an issue in a completely different way.

A perfect example of not giving up on a resolution just because it doesn’t happen right away.

1. Create Depth to Combat Inevitable Injuries Down the Stretch

Much smarter baseball minds than I will be able to give you a formula for how to make this work, but it needs to happen in 2026.

This team had all the momentum in the world coming out of their Game 1 win down at Yankee Stadium, with Crochet pitching the game of his life against the Yankees to set the stage for what should have been a Wild Card Round win over their heated rivals.

Instead, it was consecutive games where the offense didn’t show up, the starting pitching didn’t give you enough, and the 2025 season for the Red Sox had come to a disappointing ending.

How do you combat that?

It’s some combination of more additions on the free agent and trade market, along with internal development to have your guys ready to go when they need to step up come playoff time.

Losing Anthony and Giolito for the postseason run due to late-season injuries turned out to be devastating blows that Boston was unable to overcome.

With that said - if you’re a team that’s World Series-caliber, the loss of two players should not be a nail in the coffin for your ballclub.

Again, this is above my paygrade. But to wither away the way they did when the lights were brightest, that just can’t happen again.

This goes back to my Duran point, as this is a resolution that can be worked on all year long. Get your pitching depth ready for the inevitable injury that bumps everyone up by one in the rotation. Get your guys the at bats or cage work necessary to make sure the slumps aren’t hitting when the weather starts to get cold again. And if you need to adjust the game plan to incorporate more small-ball to generate offense, don’t hesitate to do so.

Maybe most importantly, this resolution serves as a catch-all for talent acquisition as well. Trading Duran for major league talent plus signing Bregman will put this team in a position to compete for a World Series next fall.

Resolutions take time. Red Sox should utilize the grace we’re giving them here to get done what needs to get done to restore the organization to a true title contender.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.