3 Big Moves Red Sox Can Make in 2026 Without Relying on Trades

Pretty soon, trade talk is going to dominate the discussion around the Boston Red Sox's season. But as a reminder, the trade deadline ended up becoming awfully bland last year.

There will be moves the Red Sox make throughout the season that have the potential to make a major impact on their trajectory. Our job, just a month into that season, is to project what some of those moves are going to look like.

Essentially, we're laying out the most impactful tools chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has at his disposal. We expect at least one, if not all three of these to happen at some point this season.

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Recall Kristian Campbell

Remember Campbell? The rising phenom who got an eight-year, $60 million contract from the Red Sox last April has now gone nearly 11 months without appearing in a major league game. Equally fascinating as the impact he could have will be the machinations it might take to get him back on the roster.

A trade might be one thing that could force the Red Sox's hand here, but there's also a logjam in the outfield and at designated hitter that needs to be cleared up, one way or the other. Which leads to...

DFA someone making $5+ million

IKF — Apr 14, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) throws the ball to first base for an out against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

If the Red Sox could have found someone to take on most or all of Masataka Yoshida's $18.7 million salary for each of the next two seasons, they would have done it by now. And having Yoshida on the bench for eight of the first nine games under interim manager Chad Tracy was a not-so-subtle indication of where the 32-year-old stands within the organization.

But Yoshida isn't the only candidate to be designated for assignment if the Red Sox can't find a trade for him. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and his surprise $6 million contract could easily be on the chopping block as well. Remember, Boston DFA'd and eventually released Walker Buehler last season when he was still owed close to $4 million.

Aggressively promote a 2025 draft pick to the majors

We saw the Red Sox bring lefty Payton Tolle all the way from High-A to the majors last season. This year, Anthony Eyanson is the first 2025 draft pick to earn a promotion, and he did it much quicker than Tolle did last summer.

If health is on the Red Sox's side, they'd love to let Eyanson, as well as first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon and first-round compensation pick Marcus Phillips, mature in the minors. But if they're in the playoff hunt and depth wears thin, all bets will be off.

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