Jeff Passan's Take on World Series Contenders Won't Please Red Sox Fans

It's awfully early in the year still, but baseball fans are itching for projections on who the best teams will be.

On Saturday, ESPN insider Jeff Passan delivered for fans of American League teams, speculating that three clubs would be among the top World Series contenders. However, Boston Red Sox fans may not be thrilled with what Passan had to say.

According to Passan, the Red Sox are in a secondary tier of prospective World Series representatives from the Junior Circuit, behind two division rivals and a squad that came within inches of the Fall Classic a year ago.

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Red Sox behind Mariners, Blue Jays, Yankees?

Story, Volpe — Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) is forced out at second base by New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) in the sixth inning during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"If I'm picking right now... Seattle (Mariners), Toronto (Blue Jays), New York (Yankees) and then everybody else, with the everybody else being Boston, the Baltimore (Orioles), Detroit (Tigers), Kansas City (Royals), Houston (Astros), Texas (Rangers) and the (Athletics)," Passan wrote on Threads.

Being lumped into a group with two teams that went under .500 last season doesn't feel good, especially when one of those teams was the laughingstock of baseball a little over a year ago. The Red Sox have a promising core that still has a couple of holes in it, and it felt like they had a chance to have a huge offseason that would vault them into that upper tier.

At the same time, there's reason to believe that the Red Sox could, hypothetically, be better than any of the three teams Passan lists.

The Mariners haven't been to a World Series ever, and even if their offense is a bit more complete on paper, the Red Sox might have the edge in rotations for the first time this decade, especially after adjusting for the ease of pitching in Seattle's ballpark versus Boston's.

The Blue Jays outperformed basically all expectations last year, and with Bo Bichette gone, they're counting heavily on up-and-down veterans like Alejandro Kirk, George Springer, and even Vladimir Guerrero Jr. repeating their huge seasons at the plate.

And while the Yankees' roster is undoubtedly solid, it looks nearly the same as last year's, and had Roman Anthony not been injured, it sure felt like Boston could have ousted New York in the Wild Card Series.

The margins are extremely thin, and while not every expert is going to believe the Red Sox can contend, the reality is that the upside with this team is immense -- it just isn't close to guaranteed.

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