It was a strange offseason for the Boston Red Sox. There is really no other way to put it. They lost Alex Bregman in free agency to the Chicago Cubs. The Red Sox have not replaced his bat in the lineup, nevermind his defense at third base.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow signed veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa and will go with some of their youngsters in trying to fill that gap. One area that Breslow clearly focused on was pitching, mainly their starting pitching. He swung a pair of deals early in the offseason and then made a free-agent splash.
After Bregman signed with the Cubs, Breslow pivoted to Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez. Adding starting pitching was a big focus. Now that spring training is underway, it’ll be up to manager Alex Cora to figure out the backend of his rotation and who his No. 5 starter will be.
Boston Red Sox No. 5 Pitching Battle Will Be Major Spring Training Storyline
When Boston signed Suárez, it was easy to slot him behind Garrett Crochet as the No. 2. Sonny Gray, acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals, and Brayan Bello will battle for the No. 3 and 4 spots. That leaves the No. 5 spot between two prospects and a player that Breslow paid a steep price for.
Breslow acquired Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a package that included prospect Jhostynxon Garcia. He’ll be in a battle for the fifth rotation spot with rising prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early. Who wins that battle? Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report gave his prediction, and it’s bad news for the two Boston left-handed prospects.
“The Red Sox gave up outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia to acquire Johan Oviedo from the Pirates, and he had a 109 ERA+ in 248.2 innings in Pittsburgh, but he will need to hold off rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle to secure a spot in the rotation. Early, 23, had a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings as a September call-up, while Tolle still has one of the highest ceilings of any pitching prospect despite some early struggles,” Reuter wrote.
Predicted Winner: Johan Oviedo
It’s not surprising that Oviedo is the predicted winner by Reuter. Breslow paid a high price by trading Garcia for him. However, it doesn’t mean that Tolle and Early can’t steal the fifth spot.
Boston Red Sox Prospects Have Work Cut Out to Make Opening Day Roster
Tolle and Early came up in September and pitched well down the stretch for Cora last year. Lucas Giolito had elbow issues that cost him the playoffs. That left Early to start the deciding Game 3 of ther American League Wild Card series against the New York Yankees. However, he was up for the challenge and pitched well, despite Boston losing.
The 27-year-old Oviedo started nine games last season for the Pirates. He pitched 40.1 innings with 42 strikeouts and a 3.57 ERA. Again, this was with a Pittsburgh team that is still rebuilding. His numbers throughout his career with the Cardinals and Pirates are not going to blow anyone away. That leaves the door open for Tolle and Early.
There are some things that Cora needs to figure out in spring training. The No. 5 rotation spot is at the top of the list. If Tolle or Early are going to make the Opening Day roster, they’ll have to earn it. However, they have a chance, and that is all you can ask for this time of the year.
Two Boston Red Sox Prospects Get Brutal Spring Training Prediction