Six Impact Starting Pitchers Red Sox Should Pursue In Free Agency
The Boston Red Sox saw momentum rise with their starting rotation after a previous offseason that lacked substantial additions.
Tanner Houck (who earned an All-Star selection), Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford all made 30 starts for the first time in their careers. That’s good news for the Red Sox in solidifying the middle-to-back end of the rotation. Now, as they probably did last winter too, the Red Sox need a horse to lead from the front of that group.
There are plenty of capable arms in different tiers that the Red Sox could and should look at this offseason to legitimize their rotation to a level of postseason contention in 2025.
Here are six names the Red Sox should consider this offseason to upgrade the starting rotation.
Max Fried
Fried could be the ace the Red Sox need and also place a needed left-hander in the rotation, likely at the top.
Fried just kept on rolling with the Atlanta Braves. He made 29 starts in 2024 and hasn’t posted an ERA over 3.25 ERA since 2019. Fried could cost less than the next name on the list and may be more of a natural fit with the Red Sox.
Corbin Burnes
Burnes got the job done in the American League East after the Milwaukee Brewers traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for 2024.
He won 15 games to the tune of a 2.92 ERA and excelled in his playoff start against the Kansas City Royals. Burnes tallied at least 190 innings for the third consecutive season as well.
The concerns? His strikeout numbers plummeted over the last three seasons and he just turned 30 years old, though that’s less of an issue than his declining strikeouts per nine innings.
Burnes might be the most “certified ace” on the market, but will the Red Sox pay up given the understandable concerns?
Shane Bieber
Bieber has a Cy Young award pedigree (he won for the American League in 2020) though he’s not that caliber at this point in his career. He’s made just 23 starts over the last two seasons and had Tommy John surgery in April.
He did pitch well in his last full season in 2022, tossing 200 innings to the tune of a 2.88 ERA for the Cleveland Guardians. He’s not the true No. 1 the Red Sox need at this point, but similar to the Lucas Giolito signing, his upside under pitching coach Andrew Bailey could be intriguing enough for Boston to pursue a short-term deal.
Nathan Eovaldi
We already made the obvious argument of why the Red Sox should be in (again) on Eovaldi.
The 2018 World Series champion already etched his name in Boston’s postseason lure and battled for parts of four seasons on the mound for the Red Sox. Even into his mid-30s, Eovaldi remains dependable and steadies the middle of the rotation should he return for a second stint in Boston.
Blake Snell
Snell returns to the market after a strange offseason last year and opted out of his deal with the San Diego Padres after 2024.
Snell is on the other side of 30 years old, but his profile still plays on the mound: he’s going to walk guys (though he dropped that rate from 5.0 in 2023 to 3.8 in 2024) but gets the job done and racks up the strikeouts in the process.
The Red Sox should be aggressive for the two-time Cy Young award winner (one in each league), who does not have a qualifying offer attached this offseason.
Walker Buehler
Buehler ended the season on top, striking out Alex Verdugo to earn the save as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series.
Buehler would depart from Los Angeles with a pair of championship rings and a history of performing in the brightest lights (including a brilliant World Series start against the Red Sox in 2018).
Buehler too is recently off of Tommy John surgery and turned 30 years old in July. That being said, the right-hander can offer top-of-the-rotation stuff. It’s not 100 mph like it used to be, but Buehler still attacks with his fastball and offers a challenge to capable lineups.