It’s been s rollercoaster of emotions for the last five days for the Boston Red Sox and the fanbase. One day, they lost out on All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs. Then, four days later, they signed free agent LHP Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130M deal.
Now, the Red Sox are claiming to be one of the best and deepest rotations in all of baseball. Where does the team stand now, after the dust has settled on the new deal in place, when it comes to their rotation?
Red Sox Building a Stable of Arms
GettyBoston Red Sox interested in free agent pitcher Ranger Suarez
After the Suarez signing, the Red Sox could roll into Opening Day 2026 with the following rotation:
LHP Garrett Crochet, LHP Ranger Suarez, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Brayan Bello & RHP Johan Oviedo
There could be a case made to swap Gray and Suarez to break up the two lefties and the three righties, but either way, that’s a solid one through five for the Red Sox going into 2026. Beyond that, the depth at starting pitching is someone else entirely to behold for Boston. After those five, the Red Sox have:
Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, David Sandlin, Tyler Uberstine, Kyson Witherspoon, Shane Drohan, and Jake Bennett.
That’s another 10 starting pitchers the Red Sox could go to in case of injuries and/or if someone is struggling in the big leagues. Now, they could trade one or two away if they want to acquire a Ketel Marte or a Brandon Donovan, but either way, that’s a long list of starters to have for depth. The Red Sox could also send someone to the bullpen as a long reliever, but when it’s broken down, that’s a deep roster of starting pitchers. Despite still needing one or two more bats for the lineup, the rotation is strong and deep in Boston.
When looking at the overall metrics of the five starters listed earlier, Baseball Savant shows how that rotation could be a problem for opponents in 2026 against the Red Sox.
Breaking Down the Numbers
GettySonny Gray is a Boston Red Sox
When looking at the pitching run value of the five players in the rotation, this is how it breaksdown: Crochet – 99th percentile (34), Suarez – 90th (17), Gray – 66th (6), Bello – 52nd (4), and Oviedo – 57th (4 in 2023)
When looking at all five pitchers, they are considered on the positive side of pitching run value according to Baseball Savant. They view that as “every pitch is assigned a run value based on its outcome (ball, strike, home run, etc.). A positive value represents runs created for hitters, and runs prevented for pitchers.” In terms of Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello, and Oviedo, all five pitchers are viewed as guys who can prevent runs and give the Red Sox a chance to win games more often than not.
Another stat to take away from all five of these guys is their ground ball percentage. Looking back on their last full seasons, they come out as: Crochet – 81st percentile. Gray – 66th, Bello – 84th, Suarez – 76th, & Oviedo – 64th. This is where the defense behind these guys in the infield needs to be addressed. Jeff Passan did state that following the Suarez signing, the Red Sox will need to add another bat. Could it be Marte, Nico Hoerner, or Donovan? Who knows. Either way, the Red Sox defense as a whole better be ready for lots of contact on the ground.
The last stat to take a closer look at is the BB% for all five players. Now, this is where it gets interesting to see how the five starters limit guys on the basepaths when it comes to free passes. Upon further look, this is where the BB% rates for the rotation: Crochet – 87th percentile (5.7%), Suarez – 86th (5.8%), Gray – 93rd (5%), Bello – 41st (8.4%), and Oviedo – 20th (10.6% in 2023). Regarding Oviedo, he is projected to get that number down to 9.4% in 2026 per FanGraphs.
When it comes down to it, the Red Sox have put themselves in a great spot in terms of strength and depth of the rotation. They are 15 starting pitchers deep and can go wherever they want this deployment. The Red Sox could use some of it to acquire infield help, use some in the bullpen if needed, or just have them stacked in case of injuries or a drop in production. There are a ton of ways this could go for the Red Sox.
Either way, they are now considered one of the best rotations in baseball after the Suarez signing. Now, it’s seeing how it rolls out when the 2026 season begins.
Red Sox Making a Claim to the Best Rotation in MLB