The Boston Red Sox fortunately will not have to make many decisions for the starting rotation this offseason.
While Boston was knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Yankees, the starting rotation wasn’t the issue. In fact, Payton Tolle and Sonny Gray were two of the only bright spots for Boston in the two-game series sweep at the hands of New York.
Unfortunately for Boston, though, Gray’s future is completely up in the air beyond the 2026 season. Gray is 36 years old and has 14 years of big league experience under his belt. He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of hanging up his cleats in general and retiring. Also, he has a mutual option for the 2027 season that surely won’t be picked up. That doesn’t mean the two sides can’t work out a new deal, though. But when Gray was asked after the Red Sox were knocked out whether Boston is a place he’d be interested in playing in 2027, he said: “I don’t know.” A completely fair answer. In a perfect world, he’ll be back. If not, Boston may need to go shopping for a righty.
With that being said, here’s our way-too-early projection for the Red Sox’s 2027 Opening Day starting rotation.
No. 1 Garrett Crochet
The big return. Crochet was able to return to the hill during the wild-card series out of Boston’s bullpen. With a full, healthy offseason ahead, the next time we should see him pitch is on Opening Day, whenever that may be.
No. 2 Payton Tolle
Tolle had a 3.03 ERA as a rookie in 26 starts and took the hill in Game 1 of a playoff series for Boston. He showed he can not only pitch at a high level, but actually reach an elite level. If he continues his progression in 2027, we’re talking about an All-Star-level hurler and an ace.
No. 3: Ranger Suarez
The vast majority of teams around the league would love to have Suarez as their No. 1 or No. 2. For Boston, he could slot in as the No. 3, which just goes to show the talent in the organization.
No. 4: Brayan Bello OR Jake Bennett
This one is tough. We tend to actually lean towards Bello, in large part because the Red Sox’s rotation is full of lefties. Crochet, Tolle and Suarez are all left-handed. If the Red Sox stick with a five-man rotation, you need to have some sort of balance with lefties and righties. That’s why we lean towards Bello on Opening Day, although both will surely get looks throughout the season.
No. 5: Shane Bieber (Free Agent)
If Gray walks, the Red Sox will need another veteran right-hander. Bieber is someone who Boston has targeted multiple times in the past. Over the last two offseasons, Bieber has been someone heavily tied to Boston, but the Red Sox were unable to get deals done. He’s going to be a free agent again after the season. Maybe the time is now?
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