12 Red Sox Who Won't Be Back in 2025 After Falling Short of Playoffs Again
By Ryan Bunton
When Ceddanne Rafaela ran down a Richie Palacios line drive on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox's 2024 season came to an end with a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Finishing with an 81-81 record, the Red Sox have now missed the playoffs in five of their last six seasons after winning the 2018 World Series. A .500 final record is fitting for a team that held a .500 record at 25 different points this season.
With the first regular season of the Craig Breslow era in the books, Breslow will be getting to work looking to build on 2024. Roster turnover should be coming as the Red Sox need to return to their status as a perennial playoff team. With that impending roster turnover, here are 12 Red Sox who won't be back in 2025.
12. Reese McGuire
Reese McGuire's most notable moment of the season might have been a dust-up that resulted in the benches clearing at Coors Field in July. The catcher had a very quiet season at the plate. In 158 plate appearances with the Red Sox this season, McGuire hit .209/.280/.295 with only three home runs and 18 RBI.
McGuire was outrighted on Aug. 2 when Boston acquired Danny Jansen and finished the season in Triple-A Worcester. The 29-year-old will be classified as a minor league free agent this offseason since he was never called back up to the bigs.
Connor Wong is expected to remain in the fold for the Red Sox behind the plate. Danny Jansen is a pending free agent, and coveted prospect Kyle Teel is looking to break through onto the big-league club. Any way that you slice it, McGuire's time in Boston is almost assuredly over.
McGuire was acquired by the Red Sox at the 2022 trade deadline, and has appeared in 161 games with Boston. If he has played his last game with the franchise, he finishes slashing .264/.315/.370 with seven home runs and 46 RBI in a Red Sox uniform.