Which Boston Team Is Next To Win A Championship?

With the Patriots clinching the No. 2 seed in the AFC for this upcoming postseason on Sunday, it got me thinking:

Which pro team in Boston is the closest to winning the city its next championship?

For those who haven’t been paying attention, the teams in this town have been on quite the run since February of 2002.

Here’s a look at the trophy case:

- 13 championships
- 20 conference championships
- 33 semifinals appearances
- 41 division titles

That’s, for lack of a better word, bonkers.

It’s been a lot of fun, but this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately town.

Just because the Red Sox have won four World Series since 2004 doesn’t let them off the hook for having to compete for the Commissioner’s Trophy every year. That’s still the expectation.

Same for the Patriots. Same for the Celtics. Same for the Bruins.

Once you’re on top, it’s all about doing what needs to be done to stay on top.

Some of these four teams are in a great position to compete right now, while others are probably nowhere near a true championship discussion.

How far up the list are the Red Sox ranked?

Let’s get into it:

4. Boston Bruins (22-18-2, 46 points)

After selling off the veteran core of their team at the trade deadline last March, the Bruins unofficially announced to the hockey world that they were in a rebuild. Or, as some like to call it in the market, a “retool” - the linguistic version of putting lipstick on a pig, in my opinion.

And while the 2025-26 season for Boston has included some really good hockey for the black and gold, this is an organization that, ultimately, should not be selling out to try and make a deep playoff run this year.

With all the draft capital they acquired from moving the likes of Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle, they need to rebuild the organization from the ground up (and actually hit on picks, which is another topic for another day).

They need to add young talent to a group of young guys already in their system - No. 7 overall pick James Hagens is killing it at Boston College, as is Will Zellers at North Dakota, who they acquired from Colorado in the Coyle trade. On top of their strong collegiate seasons, both young studs played really well at the World Juniors.

Don’t be fooled by some fun win streaks, Bruins. It all still needs to be about the future.

Can this team make the postseason? Sure. But should there be any real Stanley Cup expectations? Absolutely not.

3. Boston Red Sox

After making the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2021, the vibes were extremely high for this team leading into the offseason.

Sure, you flamed out against the Yankees after being up 1-0 in the Wild Card Round, but there was so much to like about the future of this team.

A young core led by Roman Anthony.

A bonafide ace in Garrett Crochet.

Arguably the best closer in baseball in Aroldis Chapman.

Two Gold Glove winners in the outfield.

How could you not just smile ear to ear thinking about what the future could look like for this team?

It’s because the organization hasn’t done enough to add to that core to make a real push to be a World Series contender.

Yes, they’ve traded for Sonny Gray and Wilson Contreras, respectively. And I know Johan Oviedo provides some depth on the pitching staff. Sure, Trevor Story opted back in - that’s great, too.

But is any of that truly moving the needle for you? Be honest.

The loud swings-and-misses on Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber still reverberate. Missing out on guys like Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto to the Blue Jays stings. Not having Alex Bregman re-signed by now is both confusing and maddening. Jarren Duran is looking more and more like a wasted asset by the day.

Have to imagine this team will be good again. But man, there’s still so much they could do to push themselves over the top.

As they’re currently constituted, they’ll be in the playoff mix again. But I believe an ALDS appearance is probably their ceiling.

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2. Boston Celtics (22-12)

This team wasn’t supposed to be in this position.

Jayson Tatum was looking like he was going to miss the entire 2025-26 season as he rehabbed his torn Achilles tendon.

The team had traded or not re-signed the likes of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford.

They would be giving elevated roles to guys like Neemias Queta and Payton Pritchard, and working in newcomers like Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons and Josh Minott. Young players like Jordan Walsh were either going to need to show they belonged, or look elsewhere for employment.

And as we sit here on January 4, they’re somehow a top three-team in the Eastern Conference with Jaylen Brown playing at an MVP-level.

This guy might just be the most underrated star in the NBA. He’s not only fourth in the league in scoring, but he’s elevating everyone else around him on the roster.

Derrick White is playing like a true No. 2. Young guys like Walsh and rookie Hugo Gonzalez are playing at a level no one thought was possible and Queta looks like one of the better centers in the conference.

And oh yeah - that Tatum guy is lurking in the offing, potentially making a return at some point sooner rather than later.

Before this Celtics season started, I would have told you the Red Sox would be No. 2 on this list. But with the lack of activity this hot stove season for Boston happening in concert with the Celtics’ surprising surge, they needed to be flip-flopped.

1. New England Patriots (14-3)

Don’t need to spend too much time on this one, because the position they’re in is obvious.

They’re the No. 2 seed in the AFC with a playoff season that’s just about to get underway.

They’re playing extremely high-level football across the board, and they have a second-year quarterback who, going into Week 18, was the favorite to win the 2025 NFL MVP Award.

They’re hosting the No. 7 seed in the Chargers next Sunday night for their first playoff game, getting at least one home game. If they can take care of business, they’ll get a second home playoff game in the divisional round. And if the Broncos get upset in the second round, the Pats will go the entire AFC Playoffs while playing at Gillette Stadium (if they’re to get that far themselves, of course).

By virtue of the calendar, they’re No. 1 on this list. I think even without the benefits of being mid-playoffs, I’d still put them on top. They have the QB - that’s what you need to win in football.

He happens to be buddies with the best young player on the Red Sox in Roman Anthony.

If this city is lucky, those two will be battling for the top spot on this list for the next decade-plus.

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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.