The Red Sox enter 2026 with one of the deepest and most imposing starting rotations in baseball—and it begins with Garrett Crochet.
Boston’s rotation is headlined by the hard-throwing left-hander, who had a dominant first season in a Red Sox uniform. Crochet finished second in American League Cy Young voting behind Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who captured the award for a second consecutive year. While Skubal ultimately took home the hardware, Crochet’s profile—across both traditional and advanced metrics—firmly placed him among the game’s elite.
With Crochet anchoring the rotation, Boston went into the offseason attacking their starting rotation and focused on acquiring arms that would slot to the top of the rotation versus a number of backend starters.
The Red Sox acquired right-hander Sonny Gray from the Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pirates, then made a significant splash in free agency by signing left-hander Ranger Suárez to a five-year, $130 million deal.
As camp opens, manager Alex Cora has flexibility. Crochet, Suárez, and Gray form a clear top three, with Brayan Bello and Oviedo competing to round out the rotation—unless Bello is moved in a trade to address the lineup. Returning right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee surgery) and left-hander Patrick Sandoval (Tommy John surgery) are also viable candidates for the fifth spot, while rookies Payton Tolle and Connelly Early are likely to begin the season in Triple-A Worcester.
Suárez represents the most impactful addition behind Crochet, giving the Red Sox a legitimate No. 2 starter. His arrival pushes Boston’s projected rotation WAR to 18.1, according to FanGraphs—one full win ahead of the reigning World Series champion Dodgers and two ahead of the Tigers.
The 30-year-old southpaw is the definition of a run-prevention arm. He ranked in the 90th percentile in overall pitching run value in 2025, supported by an 84th-percentile xERA (3.16), a 70th-percentile xBA (.226), and elite contact suppression metrics. Opponents averaged just 86.5 mph in exit velocity against him (95th percentile), while his barrel and hard-hit rates ranked in the 89th and 98th percentiles, respectively.
Ranger Suárez has a career-high 12 strikeouts through 6 scoreless innings! pic.twitter.com/eqjMD0hwCr
— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2025
Suárez relies on depth rather than overpowering velocity. He threw five pitches at least 14 percent of the time last season, with no single pitch exceeding 28.6 percent usage. Against left-handed hitters, his sinker usage jumped to 45.7 percent. His velocity has dipped—his four-seamer averaged 91.3 mph in 2025, down from 93.4 in 2023.
The primary concern remains around his workload: he has never exceeded 157 1/3 innings in a single season and has made 29 starts only once. He’s had a handful of different injuries that have snuck up on him, including a groin issue, back tightness, a hamstring problem, and an elbow issue he dealt with in 2023.
Gray, 36, slots neatly into the No. 3 role. He made 32 starts for St. Louis last season, posting a 4.28 ERA over 180 2/3 innings while striking out 201 batters. His 5.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio led the league, and his 3.39 FIP suggests his performance outpaced his surface results.
The veteran owns a 3.58 career ERA across 330 starts, though Fenway Park has historically been a challenge. Gray is 0–4 with a 6.84 ERA in 26 1/3 innings at Fenway, with opponents hitting .326.
An emphasis on improving the infield defense will be key over the coming weeks with the addition of both Suarez and Gray.
Oviedo, 27, arrives as a high-upside project. He returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025 and made nine starts for Pittsburgh, posting a 3.57 ERA but a 4.92 FIP across 40 1/3 innings. Despite inconsistent command and lingering physical issues, Oviedo recorded a career-best 24.7 percent strikeout rate.