Red Sox Offseason Rotation Primer: Upside Galore With A Lefty-Heavy Slant

Image courtesy of Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Red Sox Video

The Boston Red Sox's major strength entering the 2026 season was their rotation. Even after an offseason that saw Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins and Kyle Harrison among others traded, the organization had plenty of depth, to the point where where both Jake Bennett and Payton Tolle began the season in Triple-A. A rotation headlined by a three-headed monster of Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez was nothing to scoff at. Add in Connelly Early and Brayan Bello, and it was clear the group was destined for greatness.

However. injuries and inconsistent pitching in the first month meant that, for the rest of the season, the plans had to be fluid. Crochet made just six starts while Bello was inconsistent to the point a demotion to Worcester was in order. Thankfully, Tolle and Bennett stepped up and provided quality innings for the majority of their time in the rotation, giving the team the confidence to trade Early.

Despite all that shuffling, saying the rotation was dominant would be an understatement. They had the fourth-best ERA (3.92) in the American League. The group also took on notable volume, pitching 837⅔ innings while striking out 813 batters. Opponents hit just .252 against them.

With the 2026 season over, the rotation might be one of the few areas of stability within the organization. Patrick Sandoval, who became the team’s fifth starter after missing nearly two years with injury, along with Gray will be the only free agents from this crop. Even if the Red Sox fail to replace either of them, their depth (while not as impressive as it was a year ago pre-trades) can still get the job done.

As of right now, the team has the following pitchers on the 40-man roster for the 2027 season that could slot into the rotation:

Garrett Crochet
Ranger Suárez
Payton Tolle
Jake Bennett
Brayan Bello
Kutter Crawford
Johan Oviedo
Tanner Houck

That group consists of three All-Stars in Crochet, Suárez, and Houck, along with two young pitchers in Tolle and Bennett who flashed immense potential in their respective rookie seasons. Even Bello as the number five starter would be incredible if he pitches like his second-half self; any team would love to have an arm give up just 12 earned runs in 51 innings during a playoff push.

Not included in that batch is Alec Gamboa, who started the season in Worcester’s rotation before being moved to the bullpen for a role in Boston. The left-hander could be slotted back into the rotation at Triple-A should the organization feel he would be best utilized in a depth role sans Gray.

When healthy, that’s an incredibly talented group of pitchers. Health is the key issue, however, as Crochet will have to prove he’s fully healthy in 2027 after missing nearly all of this past season. Likewise, between Crawford, Houck, and Oviedo, the team's top depth made just two appearances in 2026. Crawford also has made just one rehab appearance over the last two seasons due to an assortment of injuries. Those three are also in a unique situation when it comes to options, as only Crawford would be eligible to be sent to Worcester. Otherwise, if Houck and Oviedo fail to make the rotation out of spring training, they would need to be in the bullpen, a move that could cause problems if they were needed to be stretched out quickly.

Suárez is another question mark, as he has never made more than 29 starts in a season. During his first season in Boston he was as good as advertised (after a few problematic outings in April), making the All-Star team and emerging as the No. 2 starter in the rotation. However, he still missed time with various injuries, including a span of 20 days with a left groin strain. Upon returning, it took a few outings for the left-hander to return to his former dominant self.

Even their minor-league depth isn’t as deep as last year. There are no pitchers currently in Worcester that are as talented as Tolle or Bennett, but should the team need a spot start or two, there are three pitchers who could supply the innings; Blake Wehunt, Gage Ziehl and John Holobetz will all be called upon to provide rotational depth for the organization. Eduardo Rivera is also a potential option, but the team mainly used him as an opener or out of the bullpen. It seems unlikely he would be moved back into a rotational role.

As of right now, the team has options, but if injuries occur like in 2026, they could be in trouble. The depth at the upper minors they built up over the previous seasons has either graduated to the majors or been traded. Outside of the trio in Worcester, Hayden Mullins would be the next likely candidate to get major-league innings, but he’s pitched a total of three innings in Triple-A and is more likely to move into a bullpen role.

Despite a clear need for a little additional depth, it’ll be a surprise if the team spends on the rotation at this point with all the money already invested in it. Between Crochet, Suárez, and Bello, the team is looking at an outlay of more than $50 million for just three starters. Both Tolle and Bennett will be on pre-arb contracts. but with the team needing to fill other areas they may not look to spend on rotational help. Instead, they may turn to minor-league contracts for help on the depth front.

It's a big "if," but if the team can get healthy seasons from every member of the projected rotation, they could be looking at the best starting five in the league.