The Boston Red Sox have never been in first place in the AL East during the 2025 season. They haven’t been as close to the top of the division as they are now (2 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays entering Tuesday) since May 11.
A massive part of Boston’s sizzling summer has been All-Star ace Garrett Crochet, who is a top contender for the AL Cy Young.
A host of ESPN baseball experts revealed their MLB September 2025 predictions on Tuesday and each insider made one “bold prediction” about the final month of the season as well.
David Schoenfield predicted that the Red Sox will win the division, while Paul Hembekides foresaw Crochet overtaking reigning AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal for the hardware.
According to ESPN BET MLB Futures, Toronto’s odds to win the AL East are at -155, the New York Yankees are at +250 and Boston is at +375. The Blue Jays (79-59) are 2 1/2 games ahead of both the second-place Yankees (76-61) and third-place Red Sox (77-62), who are just one percentage point behind the Bronx Bombers.
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Even if Boston doesn’t win the division, they have a good shot of making the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Red Sox currently hold the second AL wild-card spot and are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners (73-65) who would be the third wild-card team if the season ended on Tuesday.
ESPN BET currently lists Skubal as the favorite to repeat as the AL Cy Young winner, with his odds at -190. Crochet is listed at +160, while Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown is at 30-1 and Texas Rangers star Jacob deGrom is at 75-1.
MLB Network’s Mark DeRosa recently endorsed Crochet for the hardware, but the 26-year-old currently trails Skubal in a host of pitching categories.
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While Crochet (14-5) has a better record than the Detroit Tigers ace (12-4), Skubal has better marks in ERA (2.18 vs. 2.40) and WHIP (0.87 vs. 1.06). Skubal also has a better strikeout to walk ratio (216 to 27) than Crochet (214 to 42) a higher Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 6.2 vs. the latter’s 5.5.
Boston’s ace is slated to start against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
Even if Crochet doesn’t end up dethroning Skubal, there’s no doubt that he’s been the ace that the Red Sox so badly needed in 2025.
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