The Boston Red Sox need to add more pitching this winter no matter what happens involving the starting lineup.
Boston has been pursuing New York Yankees star Juan Soto, but needs to add pitching even if it can find a way to sign him. The Red Sox have the means to get a deal done with Soto and add top-tier pitching talent.
Before Opening Day rolls around, the Red Sox need at least one left-handed starting pitcher. Boston will enter the 2024 season with Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolitio, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello unless it decides to send any away in a trade.
Boston should be looking for at least one starter, but also it could make sense to add two. Injuries played a big role for Boston in 2025 and so it should do everything possible to maximize depth.
Because of this, the Red Sox should pursue two starting pitchers and they should be Max Fried and Walker Bueher. Fried would provide the left-handed punch that Boston needs and Buehler would be a cheap option with a very high upside.
Fried is projected to land a six-year deal worth over $136 million this winter. Buehler is projected to land a one-year deal worth just under $4 million.
In this scenario, Fried would be the big prize. He has a 3.07 career ERA in eight seasons. Fried’s coming off a 2024 campaign where he logged a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts for Atlanta and was an All-Star.
Buehler unsurprisingly struggled in 2024 after missing the entire 2023 season. He had a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts in the regular season, but looked more like himself in the postseason and shined in the World Series and even closed out the final game against the New York Yankees.
He’s going to have to settle for a cheap deal after dealing with injuries over the last few years, but he showed in the playoffs that he still can shove and is just 30 years old. With another year under his belt removed from his injury and Andrew Bailey helping lead the way, maybe Buehler could return to form fully at a discount.
In this scenario, the Red Sox could either roll with a six-man rotation, or shift one of the other starters to the bullpen as injury insurance. A contender can never have too much pitching and these two should be top targets for Boston.
