The Red Sox continue to chase starters, right-handed bats

The Red Sox have been unsuccessful in free agent pursuits Juan Soto AND Massimo Frittobut they made their first big offseason splash when they got leverage Garrett crochet from the White Sox in exchange for a package of four prospects led by catchers Kyle Teel and external Braden Montgomery — their top picks in each of the last two drafts. Boston now controls Crochet through the 2026 season, making him a multi-year contributor Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello and maybe Luca Giolito – depending on his option for 2026. The Sox, however, have no intention of stopping there. Chief baseball official Craig Breslow he said today in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that he is still looking for more help with the rotation (audio link).

“The teams that win in the postseason, they pitch,” Breslow said. “The ability to develop quality and depth in our rotation is something that will serve us well throughout the season. I think we saw what happened last year, where later in the season, our bullpen got tired and we had a couple of unfortunate injuries with our rotation. We didn’t have enough depth to step in and replace them. So that’s our goal. We will continue to be aggressive in pursuing starting pitching, but we will also begin to shift our focus to continue addressing the bullpen.

Breslow’s comments are in line with recent reports about the Sox’ offseason efforts. In the week after Crochet landed, they were linked to the trade candidate Luis Castello and free agents John means AND Jack Flaherty. It was previously reported that they were preparing an offer Corbin Burnes. Meaning, coming off UCL surgery in early June, he would be a pure depth addition with an eye toward the final stages of the 2025 season. Burnes, Flaherty or Castillo, clearly, would represent a potential major upgrade for a rotation that already includes Crochet, Giolito, Houck, Bello and Crawford.

Giolito is recovering from his UCL procedure and may not be ready for Opening Day. Even if the Sox can get a relatively healthy season out of him, there’s reason to think they could use another starter. Injuries to the starting staff are practically inevitable, first and foremost. Beyond that, Giolito’s workload will likely be handled in his first post-surgery season. Crochet’s 2024 season was his first full, healthy season as a starter. Another established arm would allow Boston to insert Giolito into the mix and provide extra insurance in case one of the other starters gets hurt.

Addressing the pitching staff was just one of multiple stated goals over the winter. The focus on Soto and the rotation have clearly taken priority, but Breslow is still attentive to the needs of the lineup. “Also, we’re going to try to balance out the lineup a little bit and potentially do that by adding a right-handed club,” he added during his radio hit.

Of course, the quest to balance the lineup and upgrade the pitching staff could be intertwined. Boston has been exploring trade possibilities involving both Triston Casas AND Willer Abreu this off-season. Swinging a left-handed bat could pave the way for the Sox to sign a right-handed outfielder like Teoscar Hernandez (if they deal from the outfield) or to move Raffaele Devers across the diamond to first base (if they move Casas). This, in turn, could free up the ability to trade Nolan Arenado or sign Alex Bregmann in free agency. Boston could take a more direct approach by adding a right-handed bat to play second base while awaiting the development/arrival of top prospect Kristian Campbell (who can however cover multiple roles).

There are various avenues for Breslow & Co. to explore, but the second-year baseball operations leader’s comments Tuesday only reinforce that the Crochet acquisition was the first of what are expected to be several major transactions out of season.