Today is one of the more significant days of the offseason, regardless of whether the Sox make any trades or significant free agent signings. That’s because it’s the final day to finalize the 40-man roster. While there has been speculation that Tanner Houck, who may miss all of 2026 and is a free agent after 2027, would be non-tendered, multiple sources now report that the Red Sox have no intention of doing so. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
It’s hard to believe that we’re even discussing the possibility of non-tendering Houck when, last season, we were wondering whether he might start the All-Star Game. But pitching can be funny like that, as Rick Porcello, who won a Cy Young Award sandwiched in between two below league average seasons, can attest. Now Porcello is up for another honor, as he’s on the Hall-of-Fame ballot for the first time. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
Porcello has no shot of getting voted into Cooperstown, of course. Dustin Pedroia doesn’t either (at least, not this year) but he’s back on the ballot for the second year, after he received 11.9% of the votes last year. That’s well short of the 75% threshold required for induction, but it’s not implausible that his case could receive more support in the coming years. Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez will be on the ballot for the final time this year. Having only received 34% of the vote last year, the second-best right-handed hitter of his generation is unlikely to make the cut. Here’s a primer on how voting works. (MLB.com)
Even if they don’t make it to Cooperstown, Pedroia and Ramirez will forever be loved by Red Sox fans for what they did on the field. Case in point: they were involved in 3 of this writer’s top 10 moments in baseball history. Actually, if you count Manny being in the other dugout during Pedro’s remarkable performance in Game 5 of the 1999 ALDS, they were involved in 4 of them. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
But enough about the past, it’s more fun to talk about who might be on the 2026 Red Sox. How does Bo Bichette at third and Pete Alonso in the middle of the lineup sound? (Conor Roche, Boston.com)
What will Roman Anthony’s Hall of Fame case look like one day? It’s way too early to make that determination, but in several ways he already looks like a star. (Thomas Harrigan, MLB.com)
