Red Sox sign Ranger Suárez to five-year, $130 million deal in first free-agent move of offseason

The Red Sox have finally signed their first free agent of the offseason.

Boston agreed to terms with left-handed starter Ranger Suárez on Wednesday, finalizing a five-year, $130 million contract, according to multiple outlets. 

The deal carries a $26 million annual average value, making Suárez the second-highest-paid starter on the Red Sox roster, trailing only fellow left-hander Garrett Crochet, who signed a six-year, $170 million extension last April with an AAV of $28.33 million. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Suárez’s contract does not include deferrals. MLB Trade Rumors projected Suárez to secure a five-year, $115-million deal at the beginning of the offseason. Instead, he will earn $3 million more per season than that initial free-agent projection.

After Alex Bregman departed Boston and signed with the Chicago Cubs, reports indicated the Red Sox would pivot toward improving their starting rotation. 

"It’s going to sound redundant, but we’ll be open to any way to improve our team," Craig Breslow said to MassLive following Bregman's signing with the Cubs. "Free agency is an obvious path, but so are trades. We will try to continue to add offense, but leaning into pitching and defense is another way to boost our win total."

Prior to the Suárez signing, Breslow’s longest free-agent commitment came last February with Bregman, who signed a three-year, $120 million contract that included opt-out clauses. The Suárez deal now establishes a new benchmark for Breslow in both years and guaranteed money committed to a free agent, while also ending Boston’s distinction as the only team not to spend in free agency this offseason.

In 2025, the Venezuelan left-hander went 12–8 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 151 strikeouts across 157 1/3 innings, marking the highest workload of his career.

Suárez has also built a strong postseason résumé during his time in Philadelphia. He has made 11 postseason appearances, including eight starts, compiling a 4–1 record with a 1.48 ERA.

With Suárez in the fold, Boston now boasts one of the deepest rotations in baseball, headlined by Crochet, Brayan Bello, Sonny Gray, and Kutter Crawford, with additional depth options including Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, and Patrick Sandoval.

Suárez turned 30 in August, a notable point given the organization’s recent reluctance to commit long-term deals to pitchers entering their 30s. Boston will also forfeit draft-pick compensation as part of the signing, surrendering a second- and fifth-highest draft pick compensation, and $1 million in international bonus pool money.

The left-hander debuted in 2018 and spent his entire career with the Phillies, emerging as one of the top free-agent pitching options on the market this winter. Suárez throws five different pitches and is effective against hitters on both sides of the plate. In 2025, he ranked in the 90th percentile in offspeed run value and the 88th percentile in breaking-ball run value, according to Baseball Savant.

Opponents hit just .203 against his changeup and .192 against his curveball. While Suárez used his slider sparingly, almost exclusively against left-handed hitters, it proved effective in limited action, holding opponents to a .174 batting average (4-for-23).

One of Suárez’s defining traits is his ability to limit hard contact. His 31.1% hard-hit rate in 2025 led all MLB starters, while his 5.5% barrel rate ranked in the 89th percentile among qualified pitchers. He also graded in the 75th percentile or better in average exit velocity (86.5 mph, 95th percentile), walk rate (5.8%, 86th), expected ERA (3.16, 84th), and chase rate (30.5%, 78th).

While Suárez profiles as a finesse pitcher who thrives on weak contact, the contract does come with risk. Durability has been a concern throughout his career. He has never thrown more than 157 1/3 innings in a season and has made a career-high 29 starts, which came in 2022.

Suárez missed time in 2025 with low back stiffness, dealt with lower-back soreness in 2024, and suffered both a right hamstring strain and a left elbow strain in 2023. He also experienced low-back spasms in 2022.

With Suárez now secured, the Red Sox can turn their attention toward upgrading the lineup and potentially leveraging their