The Boston Red Sox clearly are taking a hard look at the starting rotation.
Boston has already acquired Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox and signed veteran Patrick Sandoval as a depth option coming off Tommy John surgery. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier hinted that the Red Sox may not be done adding pitching too.
If the Red Sox are going to add another starting pitcher, they should focus on former Los Angeles Dodgers star Jack Flaherty. He’s projected to land a three-year, $63 million deal this winter by Spotrac. This is a very fair price. Part of the reason why his projection is low is because of injuries. He’s dealt with some back injuries in the past.
But, the Red Sox seemingly have a good medical team as proven by the fact that pitchers keep picking to join Boston as they rehab. Examples are James Paxton, Liam Hendriks, Michael Fulmer, and now Sandoval. Flaherty isn’t injured, but if one would pop up, the Red Sox would do a good job handling it.
Flaherty is just 29 years old and pairing him with Andrew Bailey could be great. He got the most out of Boston’s rotation in 2024. Flaherty is still young and had a 3.17 ERA in 2024 across 28 outings with the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers.
If the Red Sox want to add another pitcher, Flaherty should be the top choice. He has a lot of upside and will cost a fraction of what Corbin Burnes would. Boston could save some money in the rotation and throw the rest at the offense.
