The Boston Red Sox were in a dark place just a few short months ago.

Of course, few will forget the deep hole Boston found itself in early in the MLB season, sinking as low as 14 games under .500 in June before breaking out for a 15-game winning streak and eventual postseason berth, with their American League wild-card series against the New York Yankees kicking off in the Bronx Tuesday.

But even before a single pitch was thrown in 2026, Red Sox fans were already in the throes of despair over missed additions that at the time seemed to spell disaster.

The fact that those lost signings have now largely been forgotten is not only a powerful testament to the journey that the Red Sox have taken to get to this point, but even more to the performances of a certain pair of players who stepped up to replace them.

Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso both rejected Boston

Alex Bregman's addition to the Red Sox from the Houston Astros ahead of the 2025 season generated plenty of excitement around Beantown, and for a year, the veteran infielder did serve as a strong leader in the dugout for some of the up-and-coming talents like Roman Anthony who joined the club mid-season, even if his on-field performances took a hit late in the year due to injury.

But Bregman's three-year contract included opt-outs for the player ahead of seasons two and three, and when the third baseman decided to return to free agency at the first opportunity and eventually signed with the Chicago Cubs, there was plenty of ire among the Fenway faithful directed at chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for failing to retain what was seen as such a valuable asset to the team both on and off the field.

Those negative feelings toward the front office were only compounded when Pete Alonso signed for the Baltimore Orioles after similar reports of strong interest, but light offers, from Boston for the first baseman. The team needed corner-infield coverage and power hitting, and with the season quickly approaching, the Red Sox looked slated to get neither.

And to be fair, both players performed very well this season. Alonso led the Orioles in OPS (.884), HR (43) and RBI (113), but Baltimore nevertheless missed out on the postseason, finishing 7.5 games back of Boston in the AL East. Bregman, meanwhile, put up a respectable .819 OPS across a season largely overshadowed by NL MVP-favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin shined bright

But the players Boston opted for instead of those two stars were among the most central pieces to the storybook season they ended up having.

Willson Contreras put up career numbers after being traded to Boston from the St. Louis Cardinals, with his 27 HR, 81 RBI and a .901 OPS not only his best marks in his 11 seasons in the majors but also pacing all qualified batters for the Red Sox this year. The first baseman's personality and leadership both came through for Boston throughout the year, and the back-to-back bombs he shared with Wilyer Abreu in July were among the most memorable moments of the club's historic hot streak.

And at the opposite corner, Caleb Durbin enjoyed a breakthrough season nobody saw coming. The third baseman started the season on the bench behind fellow new acquisition Isiah Kiner-Falefa after arriving from the Milwaukee Brewers, but quickly earned his spot as the Sox starter. Durbin finished the year with 13 homers of his own and a strong case for an AL Gold Glove in only his second season in the Show.

Whatever happens this October, the 2026 campaign will not be one that Sox fans forget anytime soon. Despite the initial gloom at missing out on Alonso and Bregman, the additions of Contreras and Durbin have been at the very core of what made this year magical for Boston.