Red Sox Linked To $13.75M Pitcher To Bolster Rotation In Free Agency

The Boston Red Sox could look to add a starting pitcher or two this offseason.

Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello are atop Boston’s rotation, but the Red Sox could look to add a solid No. 3 starter. Major League Baseball analyst Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report named the Red Sox as a potential suitor for San Diego Padres right-hander Kerry Miller in free agency.

“Brayan Bello has blossomed into a legitimate rotation fixture, while the trio of No. 5 options above rather surprisingly tossed its way into the October mix after spending most of the year in the minors,” Miller wrote. “If they believe in at least one of those guys and expect Kutter Crawford to be back in the mix in 2026, maybe they don’t worry about signing a co-ace for Crochet.

“They have more than enough room in the budget to make multiple big signings, though. And if they can’t adequately replace the bats of Alex Bregman and Trevor Story if those infielders opt out, they could instead just focus on making the rotation stronger.”

Cease is a pending free agent after he completed his one-year, $13.75 million deal to avoid arbitration. The 29-year-old went 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA in 32 starts last season and would be a good No. 3 starter for Boston.

The Red Sox are also likely to add to their rotation this offseason, according to Craig Breslow.

“No one will sit in this seat and say that there’s enough pitching in the organization,” Breslow said at a press conference on Oct. 6.

“I think we saw that in the second half and we could list out the pitchers that were on the IL and it just means that depth is so critically important. So, like I said, when we talk about pursuing opportunities to improve the team, bringing in (additional) pitching certainly is one of them.”

Boston has Dustin May, Steve Matz, and Justin Wilson as pending free agents, while Lucas Giolito and Liam Hendricks have mutual options.