Heading into the playoffs, the Boston Red Sox have one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. A major reason why is the dominance of setup man Garrett Whitlock.
At one point, Whitlock was a pitcher who the Red Sox had hoped to make into a starter. His body, seemingly, couldn’t handle the workload, though. So, he moved to the bullpen where he’s been dominant. Still, there is a willingness that Whitlock recently shared with The Boston Globe to return to the rotation.
“I definitely know my body better and know everything better now, and so it’s definitely something I’d be open to. Will I?” Whitlock said. “I’m not going to walk into [chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s] office and be like, ‘Hey, I’m starting.’ So it’s one of those things where the team would have to be on board with it and just talk through everything and go through it. But it’s something I’d always be open to.”
It’s been since 2024 when Whitlock last started for the Red Sox. Since then, he’s become one of the game’s elite relievers. In 2026 alone, he has a 1.81 ERA, a 0.826 WHIP, and 10.5 strikeouts per nine in 49.2 innings of work.
“I doubt Boston will do it. We’re pretty good on starting depth,” Whitlock said. “If I become a free agent and a team approaches me about it, I’m open to it and see how it goes.”
Whitlock is a different pitcher now than he was when he was starting games. He’s a sinker pitcher now, and he’s ditched his fastball. He’s also changed his changeup grip, making it one of the best pitches in MLB.
Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals recently made a similar switch back and forth. As he explained it, the switch back to starting is actually easier.
“Once you make the switch back, you have the confidence. The problems you had earlier in your career, [which] sent you to the ’pen in the first place — you’re aware why those mistakes happened,” Lugo said.
Injuries Have Plagued Garrett Whitlock With the Boston Red Sox
The major reason why the Red Sox sent Garrett Whitlock to the bullpen was that his body wasn’t holding up to the workload. Injuries became a major issue at that point in his career.
Among the injuries Whitlock has battled in his career are a right pec strain, right hip inflammation, right hip impingement, right elbow ulnar neuritis, right elbow inflammation again, and in 2024 he would finally need an internal brace to repair a torn UCL. It was an alternative to Tommy John. Even in 2026, as a reliever, Whitlock landed on the IL with a left leg strain.
Still, he’s stayed healthier in the bullpen overall. So, it’s made sense to keep him there.
Whitlock isn’t the only starter forced into the bullpen over the years. He’s even fairly close with a couple of them from his time on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. They’re even able to joke about that role now.
“We all joke that we’re all failed starters,” Whitlock said.
Whitlock’s Contract Situation With the Red Sox
In April of 2022, the Red Sox extended Garrett Whitlock. He’s currently on a four-year, $18.75 million deal. That’s going to expire at the end of the season, though there are club options for the next two seasons.
When the Red Sox signed that extension, Whitlock was a starting pitcher. Now a relief pitcher, the value of the deal does change a little bit. His 2027 option is worth $8.25 million and the 2028 option is worth $10.5 million.
The Red Sox certainly don’t want to see Whitlock walk. The 30 year old has, undeniably, been elite for them. So, they are going to need to consider their options. That is, to pick up those options, extend Whitlock again, or let him walk in free agency. Making that a tougher decision are the upcoming CBA negotiations.
Notably, even Whitlock’s 2028 option would be outside the current top 10 in AAV for the 2026 season among relievers. So, for his production, the Red Sox are getting great value.
Red Sox RP Garrett Whitlock Shares Why He’d Consider a Move Back to Starting