The Red Sox returned to the postseason last year for the first time since 2021. It was short-lived after Boston fell to the New York Yankees in three games in the American League Wild Card round.

With a new-look team in 2026, a strong starting rotation and a lineup that boasts Roman Anthony, the expectations are high for Boston.

Making his yearly Opening Day appearance on the “Fenway Rundown” podcast with MassLive’s Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam, Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy was asked to lay out his expectations for the team.

“We want to win a World Series,” Kennedy said. “We hope to take that next step forward in October. But I’d be lying to you if we didn’t think we had a team that was built to get to the postseason and capable of really having a special run. But it’s easy to say that here as we get to the last hours of spring training. But no, this is an aggressive bunch, a confident group, and we’re hoping to get back to October. Anything can happen once you get into the dance.

“It’s hard to put a win total. It’s hard to put a date in October. As I said, we want to win. We want to win the whole thing and go all the way,” he later added. “And I think we’ve got a group that believes in themselves and certainly has the ability to do that. That said, the randomness of baseball and especially in October, it’s very hard to predict. But in terms of expectations, from we said at the outset of the off season, the expectations are to take that next step in October and to get to the postseason and then advance beyond where we got to last year.”

Kennedy noted it was great for the Red Sox to get a taste of the postseason last year, especially for the young players. But he wants to build on that in 2026.

While the Red Sox didn’t acquire a bonafide power bat in the offseason, plenty of power was on full display from several players during the World Baseball Classic.

Anthony, Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida and Wilyer Abreu all shined for their respective teams throughout the tournament.

Manager Alex Cora is confident Abreu will hit 30 home runs this season.

There has been a lot of hype around the rotation with ace Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, Ranger Suárez and Johan Oviedo behind him with lefties Connelly Early and Payton Tolle in the mix, too.

The 2026 postseason is still a long ways away and the American League East is a difficult division. But the Red Sox are motivated and ready to not only return to the postseason, but get deeper than last year.

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