The New York Yankees move on to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS beginning this weekend, leaving behind their archrivals with a 4-0 loss, which was done in large part by their defensive sloppiness. In one of many haunting moments for the Red Sox, their $3.85 million outfielder Jarren Duran first gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead on Wednesday after failing to make a clean play. The following night didn’t get an ounce better.

Giancarlo Stanton had hit a deep fly ball, which he believed was a home run. For a while, he stood at the home plate and admired his shot. Just when he realized that the ball had hit the left field fence and was still in play, he ran hard towards the second and made it safely.

Only if Jarren Duran hadn’t taken forever to make the throw, Stanton could have been easily out and embarrassed. “How the f— didn’t we throw him out at 2nd? Did Duran not run for that ball?” Dave Portnoy noted. “Can’t give a team extra outs. Disgusting f—— defense.” He added.

The Red Sox became the first team to surrender in the best-of-three round after winning Game 1 of the Wild Card series since the expanded format came into existence in 2022. Longtime Red Sox supporter and founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, watched the team blow chances at Yankee Stadium two nights in a row. And for the second consecutive night, Jarren Duran’s lack of hustle played a factor in the team’s stumble.

After voicing his frustration with Alex Cora and Co. on Wednesday—“Yankees literally just tried to give us the game and we refused”—Portnoy looked for a turnaround.

But instead, he watched the peak of Duran’s blunders. His tough night was stretched till the eighth inning. That’s when he popped up a ball in foul territory, which was caught by the Yankees’ third baseman Ryan McMahon while flipping into the Red Sox’s dugout.

All of Jarren Duran’s sloppy errors unfolded a night after he didn’t get a great read on Aaron Judge’s 78.9-mph line drive to left field. After which, he disappointingly admitted, “This one is going to sting for a little bit. I know that game is 100% on me.”

Now, after falling short again in Thursday’s season-decisive game for the Red Sox, he is in a glaring spotlight with relentless calls coming from Boston for his trade. But that’s a discussion for another day. For now, it’s time to see what’s next for the team that was ahead of the Yankees in the AL standings for most of the second half of the season.

What’s next for the Boston Red Sox after an early playoff exit?

After making it to October baseball for the first time since 2021, the Red Sox deserve some credit for showing real progress in their rebuild. The team now appears ready to shift the odds and be in a win-now mode next season onwards. Largely because they’ve stocked all the young prospects who can form the Red Sox’s core for the upcoming years.

After Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer graduated from the prospect list, the club still had enough talent stocked in the minors. Both Payton Tolle and Connelly Early could earn spots on the Red Sox roster, as Early already did, after delivering exceptionally in the minor leagues and making impressive late-season debuts. Additionally, Richard Fitts is in the mix, too.

He concluded the 2025 season with a 5.00 ERA over 45 innings, which can improve moving forward.

Overall, the Red Sox will be required to add at least one veteran with extensive experience to strengthen the young roster.

In fact, Craig Breslow’s bold move to trade Rafael Devers, which once looked like a mistake, now appears like a strong move. After all, it has ultimately resulted in other players taking on leadership roles. The Red Sox also deserve some credit for navigating the season around the absence of Triston Casas. He was expected to be the lineup’s centerpiece. That was until he suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee back in May.

For the off-season, it’ll be better if Craig Breslow adds a reliever and at least one elite starter. Not to forget, keeping Alex Bregman will be just as essential.