Red Sox CEO on 2026 team: 'There's no ceiling'

FORT MYERS, Fla. – After an offseason that was at times a bumpy ride, Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy believes that the landing was just about right for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his team of executives.

Though a true power hitter wasn’t acquired and Alex Bregman’s services weren’t retained, Kennedy thinks that the team is positioned to have home playoff games for the first time since 2021.

“There's no ceiling on the 2026 Boston Red Sox,” Kennedy said. “This group, if things come together, and we have good health, I think sky's the limit for what we might be able to achieve. But it's February.”

Even though the Sox did notch 89 victories and end their postseason drought last season, losing a three-game Wild Card Series to the Yankees played exclusively on the road left the organization and the fan base feeling like it wasn’t quite enough.

“We said it at the end of the year, getting back to the postseason was the first step, and now we're looking forward to taking that next step,” said Kennedy. “We won 89 games last year. We want to build on that regular season win total, get into the postseason, stay healthy, and take that next step in October. Obviously, winning a World Series is the ultimate goal.”

And turning Fenway Park into the October advantage it has often been is another goal.

“There's just nothing like October baseball at Fenway Park,” said Kennedy. “I think a lot of the guys that Bres and the team brought in are really fired up. Sonny Gray made it pretty clear he is here to win the World Series. Willson Contreras made it pretty clear he wants to win a World Series. So it's an exciting time here.”

During the team’s first full-squad workout, Kennedy held court with the media for 24 minutes. Here are some other notables from that session.

Bregman’s departure

This was Kennedy’s first time speaking to the assembled media since Jan. 10 at Fenway Fest, when he held court just hours before Bregman decided to sign with the Cubs. His reaction to the Red Sox losing out on their top target of the offseason?

“We’re so grateful to Alex Bregman and what he meant to us. But look, in the end, when you have choices the way he did, you work really hard to be in a position to become a free agent and perform at that level,” said Kennedy. “He chose a different path, and we wish him well and we’re looking forward to seeing him at the end of the season at Fenway [for Red Sox-Cubs].”

The Cubs offer that Bregman accepted included a full no-trade clause. Boston’s final offer didn’t include no-trade protection. Do the Sox have a policy against awarding no trade clauses, something they haven’t given to any player since Chris Sale was signed during the Dave Dombrowski regime seven years ago?

“No, look, if Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here,” Kennedy said. “We try not to talk about organizational policies and the finer points of negotiations, because it just doesn't serve you well.”

Ticket sales and payroll both up

How are the Red Sox doing in terms of ticket sales?

“We're so fortunate. We're up five percent over last year,” said Kennedy. “We've renewed 95 percent of our season-ticket holders. There's lots of different ways to measure fan interest and fan engagement. I think our fans understand that this is going to be a very competitive baseball team. And, they bought in last year and hopefully we can earn their trust and support and they’ll buy in [for 2026].”

Though the Sox often take heat in their market for not being aggressive enough in free agency, the team’s payroll is currently above the second luxury tax threshold of $264 million.

“Obviously, you can do the math,” said Kennedy. “You know where we are. I think it just shows that John and Linda [Henry] and Tom [Werner] and Mike Gordon and the ownership are continuing to put the resources necessary into the Boston Red Sox to be successful. But now we’ve got to go out and do it [on the field].”

Power outage?

The trend in recent years is that the most successful teams in October go deep the most. At least on paper, this Boston unit doesn’t figure to be elite in the art of hitting home runs. Can they overcome it with pitching and defense?

“Listen, it’s an opportunity for guys to step up and generate offense,” Kennedy said. “I think you know what we’re capable of with this outfield, but we’ll have to go out and do that.”

Roman Anthony, the emerging 21-year-old star, is the most likely candidate to make a big jump in the power department.

“Another formula for success here has been a combination of young homegrown talent and then bringing in outside veteran leadership and players,” said Kennedy. “So to have Roman here [and under contract] a long time is a great thing. I know he's really excited to be healthy.