The Red Sox officially announced the signing of left-hander Ranger Suárez to a five-year deal Wednesday. He’ll reportedly be guaranteed $130MM in total, and the contract contains a mutual option for the 2031 campaign. It’s a fairly straightforward deal that contains no deferrals, opt-outs or no-trade protection. Boston opened a 40-man spot for the veteran lefty this morning when trading infielder Tristan Gray to the Twins. Suárez is represented by the Boras Corporation.
Suárez’s contract is reportedly backloaded in significant fashion, paying him just a $3MM signing bonus and $7MM salary in 2026. He’ll earn $15MM in 2027 before his salary doubles to $30MM in each of the next two years (2028-29). Suárez will be paid $35MM in 2030 and is also guaranteed a $10MM buyout on that mutual option, which is valued at $35MM. Mutual options are never exercised by both parties, so the inclusion of one in this deal is little more than a mechanism to further backload the contract.
The Sox came into the offseason with a rotation headlined by Garrett Crochet, followed by a notable gap to their other starters. They had a lot of options for back-end types and depth but were looking to bolster the front end.
“Because of the depth that we’ve built up over the last couple of years, we feel pretty good about just overall starting pitching, maybe No. 3-ish through No. 10-ish,” was how chief baseball officer Craig Breslow framed the situation in November. “And that’s not to take away from guys who are certainly capable of doing more, and more just to say I don’t think we’re going to spend a ton of time trying to add a No. 4, No. 5 starter.”
Since then, Breslow has made a couple of moves to alter that rotation group. He acquired Sonny Gray from the Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pirates. They subtracted a bit from the depth by including Richard Fitts in the Gray deal and Hunter Dobbins in a separate Cardinals trade that netted first baseman Willson Contreras.
Gray is arguably the kind of No. 2 starter the club was looking for. His 4.28 earned run average in 2025 has some Boston fans disputing that assessment but he has a 3.63 ERA, 27% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate in 531 innings dating back to the start of 2023. FanGraphs ranks him fifth in wins above replacement among pitchers in that time, behind only Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, Logan Webb and Cristopher Sánchez.
Since the Gray deal, Boston has seemingly been more focused on upgrading its lineup and position player mix, targeting infielders like Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Ketel Marte, Brendan Donovan and Isaac Paredes. Clearly, Boston hit a wall in those efforts. Bregman signed with the Cubs, and Bichette landed with the Mets. The D-backs have reportedly taken Marte off the market. Paredes and Donovan could still be available, though Houston has shown minimal interest in dealing the former. Having come up empty (so far) in that pursuit of a marquee infielder, the Red Sox pivoted to further augment an already strong rotation.
Suárez’s contract is notable on a few fronts. For one, Breslow has generally avoided long-term free agent deals since becoming Boston’s chief baseball officer. Coming into today, his longest deal for a free agent was to give Bregman three years, which turned into a one-year relationship when Bregman opted out. The Sox came into today as the only one of the 30 major league clubs to not have signed a free agent this winter. This deal will be a new benchmark for Breslow in terms of years and guarantee given to a free agent, as well as erasing Boston’s status as the only team not to spend money on free agency this offseason.
It’s also a notable deal for Suárez in a few different ways. For one thing, he was a fairly low-profile international signing of the Phillies at the start of his professional career, securing a bonus of just $25K. As he has become a major leaguer, he has pushed his salary up in arbitration with his strong results but his lack of volume has limited him. He just made $8.8MM in his final year of arbitration, relatively modest by modern standards, but will now be securing a much bigger payday than ever before.
Speaking of his strong results but limited overall workload, that impacted the view of his market coming into this winter. Broadly speaking, Suárez has been really good on a rate basis, but he doesn’t throw especially hard and has dealt with some nagging injuries, impacting the overall quantity of his contributions.
He first became a full-time starter for the Phillies in 2022 and held a rotation job for four years. Over that span, he logged 588 1/3 innings with a 3.59 ERA. His 21.9% strikeout rate was around league average. His 7.5% walk rate was solid and his 50.8% ground ball rate quite good. He also earned a reputation as a cold-blooded playoff contributor, giving the Phils 42 2/3 postseason innings with a 1.48 ERA.
However, Suárez’s velocity has never been huge and has been trending down. His four-seam fastball averaged a bit over 93 miles per hour in 2022 and 2023. That dropped to 91.8 mph in 2024 and 91.3 mph last year. His primary pitch, his sinker, averaged just 90.1 mph in 2025.
Suárez also still hasn’t really pitched a full big league season. He hasn’t had any major injury concerns but has had scattered issues over the years, with lower back problems being a recurring thorn. Thanks to those sporadic health problems, he’s never hit the 30-start mark or the 160-inning plateau in any season as a big leaguer.
Given his clear skills but also his question marks, MLBTR predicted Suárez for a five-year, $115MM deal at the beginning of the offseason, $23MM in terms of average annual value. The top of the free agent starting pitching market has been slow to move this winter. Dylan Cease and the Blue Jays quickly found each other but it’s been a bit tepid otherwise.
Prior to this, no other starter apart from Cease signed a deal longer than than three years or for more than $75MM. Tatsuya Imai settled for three years and $54MM, significantly below the expectations from the outset of the offseason. As Suárez and Framber Valdez lingered unsigned into the new year, it was fair to wonder if they would meet the initial expectations. Suárez has not only met MLBTR’s prediction but surpassed it by a margin of $3MM per season.
Despite some concerns with Suárez, the move gives Boston one of the best rotations in baseball, if not the very best. Crochet is the clear ace. Suárez and Gray will have two spots behind him, followed by Brayan Bello. Oviedo seems to be in a decent position to land the No. 5 spot, but he would also have competition from injury returnees like Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford. It’s possible Tanner Houck jumps into the mix late in the year, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in August.
Prospects Connelly Early and Payton Tolle made big league debuts late in 2025 and could push for jobs as well. Kyle Harrison, David Sandlin, Shane Drohan and Tyler Uberstine are also on the 40-man roster. Those latter six names all have minor league options and either have limited big league experience or none at all, so they could all be sent to the minors as depth. Crawford has a decent amount of big league experience but is still optionable, so it’s possible for him to be squeezed to Worcester as well.
It’s also fair to wonder if this Suárez deal sets the Red Sox up to trade some starting pitching for the infield upgrade they didn’t get when Bregman slipped through their fingers and Bichette signed with the Mets. They have been connected to Donovan many times and have already lined up a few trades with Chaim Bloom, Boston’s former chief baseball officer who is now president of baseball operations with the Cardinals.
Donovan isn’t the only option out there. The Sox were also connected to Marte as strongly as any club in baseball. While the Diamondbacks have reportedly taken him off the market, Breslow could always try to force the issue with an offer headlined by Tolle or Early (in addition to other young pieces). Nico Hoerner‘s name has also come up in some trade rumors after the Cubs signing Bregman. Jake Cronenworth of the Padres has been in a few rumors.
All those players would have varying level of trade value due to their different salaries and years of control, but the same is also true of Boston’s pitchers. Early and Tolle are big prospects and would only be given up for a big return. Sandoval has one year left on his contract and has been injured for most of the past two years, so his trade value is marginal, at best. Bello has even been in some rumors and he would be somewhere in between, as he is owed $50.5MM over the next four years and has been more good than great.
Since it feels likely that at least one more significant move is coming, the club’s financial picture is probably still in flux. For now, RosterResource pegs the club’s payroll at $197.5MM with a competitive balance tax calculation just under $266MM.
The Sox avoided the tax in 2023 and 2024. They went narrowly over the line in 2025, paying a tax bill of just $1.5MM. That will make them second-time payors in 2026, giving them a base tax rate of 30% for going over the first threshold of $244MM. The second threshold is $264MM and the Sox would pay a 42% on further spending above that line. If they go beyond $284MM, the tax rate would jump to 75% for spending above that line and their top pick in the 2027 draft would be dropped by ten spots.
Speaking of the draft, the Sox are going to be impacted by this Suárez signing in 2026. Suárez rejected a qualifying offer from the Phillies, meaning the Sox are subject to the associated penalties for signing him. Since the Sox paid the tax last year, they have to forfeit their second- and fifth-highest draft picks this summer, in addition to losing $1MM in international bonus pool space. The Phillies will receive a compensation pick after the fourth round of the upcoming draft.
Prior to this deal with the Red Sox, Suárez was connected to the Orioles, Astros and Mets, though other clubs presumably had interest even if they weren’t connected to him in public reports. For the teams who missed out on Suárez, there are still some options they can turn to, despite the relatively late stage of the offseason.
Valdez and Zac Gallen are the top two free agents, with Chris Bassitt, Justin Verlander, Lucas Giolito and others still unsigned. The trade market still has some potential options, including MacKenzie Gore and Freddy Peralta. Valdez has to be pleased with Suárez getting a deal beyond expectations even at this part of the calendar. They are fairly similar pitchers as groundballers. Valdez is a bit older but throws harder and has the more impressive track record overall.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that the Sox would be signing Suárez. Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the length and guarantee, as well as the lack of deferrals and opt-outs. Chris Cotillo of MassLive first reported the lack of a no-trade clause, the inclusion of a mutual option, and the annual breakdown of the contract. Photos courtesy of Bill Streicher, Brad Penner, Imagn Images
Best of luck from Phillies nation. He will be missed
Yeah – hate to see him go, but understand why he was not going to fit for the Phils. Great kid who will always be a Phil; never grew tired of his subtle elegance in the field.
Oh, he will pretend to make the transition real. But his heart will always belong in Philly. ; )
So will his stomach. Though everyone raves about Geno’s and the other big one, the best cheese steak I got in Philly was a hole in the wall in the back of the Reading Terminal Market. Tried to go back a third time while I was there but they sold out.
Genos and Pats are the two most talked about. When I was frequenting Philly several years ago, I had the opportunity to try some different places, after trying the aforementioned and not being too impressed. The best that I had was from Tony Lukes, which was very close to the stadium/95 area. I recently went back to Philly for the first time in several years back in October and tried a place called Jim’s Cheesesteaks because of good reviews. Tony Lukes is still the best of all the places I have tried.
@goose – Yeah there are so many cheesesteak places that are better than Pat’s and Geno’s. In fact, the best one that I ever had was in the burbs, a family Italian place where the guy spent a full year perfecting his approach before he put it on the menu.
No one raves about Geno’s or Pat’s.
(Although TBF I’d still take Pat’s over some of the other “big names” like Dallesandro’s and Jim’s)
No one from Philly raves about Geno’s or Pats.
Crochet-Suarez-Gray sounds nasty… if Bello continues to improve he can do so in the 4th or 5th spot. Makes it easier to do his job. Plus Oviedo acts as a motivator for others wanting a turn in the rotation.
That’s facts. Everyone has their favorite place but no one I know says those two.
Try Oregon Steaks, Avenue Steaks, Carangi’s all are within a few block of each other. Do a little sample tour. You won’t be disappointed. I personally like chicken cutlet hoagies from Big Nick/little Nicks and P&S Ravioli has great sandwiches.
Geno’s and Pat’s have lines all the time, but its mostly tourists. My favorite is from Angelos. I haven’t been to Jim’s Steaks since the Proetto family sold it, but they used to be right up there. I think everyone has their own favorites and Geno’s and Pat’s are not at the top of the list.
I’m seeing another BIG move coming in the trade front. I’m not sure if they will go back to AZ for a certain second baseman but they now enter spring training with excess starters when counting the youngsters as well as the outfield jam. If not AZ, another team. Another trade is definitely brewing.
Never had either but reading this having grown up in New Haven, CT, there are many places nearby that are better today than Sally’s and Peoe’s.
Alfred, too much of Modern’ bomb pie can kill you… Growing up (Sal supervised EVERY pie that went in and out of the oven), it was either bacon and onions or a regular mootz pie from Sally’s (if you said plain, it came without cheese) or fresh clams from Pepe’s.
That clam pizza at Pepes is to die for. Frank Pepe’s is great. My favorite is Modern Apizza in New Haven. New Haven style is the best damn pizza in the world.
Troutahni
That clam pizza at Pepes is to die for. Frank Pepe’s is great.
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Frank Pepe’s pepperoni pizza in Yonkers is the best I’ve ever had.
I have a 130 million reasons on why that’s not true
Just read the salary for each season. NOTE TO SOX FANS: the club better win now as when Suarez gets $30m or more, Henry will make it impossible for Breslow or the next GM/presidenr to improve the club by spending…
Dewey, by the time Suarez gets 30m, the sox will save over $30m in commitments to yoshida and hicks.
GA: true but there will be other signings or trades with future commitments and Henry will self-cap the team so he can invest in other areas/sports. No disrespect meant but fans have been fooled since Sales re-signed and got injured. AS LONG AS FENWAY REMAINS A DESTINATION, NOTHING IS LIEELY TO CHANGE IN THE LONG TERM.
Dewey: Things have changed. The Red Sox’ CBT payroll is now at $265M per Cot’s. They are now above the second luxury tax threshold and still people are complaining.
Dewey, Did you hear the trade suggestion that Jones and Keefe were talking about right after Bregman signed with the Cubs?
No , fill me in Baseball.
The folks at Spataro’s Steaks most definitely won’t take offense to your heartwarming description.
Lucky you philly peeps, I get this overpriced chain called Philly’s Best, I mean they use white cheese and little steak chunks… real authentic right lol? No sandwich shop around me i’m aware of does anything resembling authentic. Like that old Fresh Prince Episode where his buddy flies him one from Philladelphia, and the bag is completely stained in grease compared to the clean bag from his local sandwich shop. Aww memories.
I have not tried Angelo’s but their line is long and as you know, not touristy. I’m sure it must be good. Oh, and John’s roast pork and a north wildwood…Russo’s. That is a gigantic cheesesteak. Probably my favorite.
Russo’s Market on the Shores? They are seasonal but really good.
Unless it is 3:00 in the morning and you want a cheesesteak!
Morgs – And lo and behold, they sign a player who they DIDN’T express “interest” in.
I like the signing, I think it means goodbye Bello.
Red Sox Nation made this happen, the backlash after losing Bregman and other free agents was immense.
RSN had nothing to do with it.
Totally agree as a Red Sox fan.
Red Sox fans like to think they have more control over the situation then we do. They have been saying for awhile if Bregman turned down the money they were open to other avenues to improve the team.
The plan now is likely to continue to trade from that pitching depth for another bat. They simply made it more palatable to do so.
hayzee – Whose money is the Red Sox primary source of revenue?
I’ll wait ……
FPG – so the government does what the taxpayers want?
Sox “fans” like you have been beyotching for years now. The team’s revenue streams have remained strong. You whine, but still tune in and watch so their revenue isn’t impacted one bit.
Fenway, one of the thumb’s ups are mine as you stole my thunder. I hadn’t scrolled down enough before writing the same thing.
Let’s play nicely in the sandbox, lol. While fans had in my view nothing to do with this deal, I do agree with Fever that a) it was a move not being talked about and b) another deal is coming to address the hitting.
Lol. All good bro! I get into it on X with Dan Lifshatz all the time because he thinks his whining and moaning actually moves the needle.
Its hilarious that people think good businessmen like John Henry fold because a couple of online trolls get loud.
If you want John to fold, don’t watch the games. But if you’re not watching this Red Sox team, you’re missing out. The AL East is going to be a battleground in 2026 and the Red Sox depth is built to sustain almost any injury.
I’m pumped for the season and that’s before they signed Suarez. Are we favorites against the Jays? No, of course not. But that doesn’t mean we can’t win.
I hope they do that offense is pretty anemic and 3b Suarez is not the answer.
hayzee – There’s choosing to spend on a specific form of entertainment, and being required to help subsidize the government.
One is totally voluntary, the other is not.
Therein lies the difference.
ken – Is that why the Sox have been literally giving away tickets to regular season games, and giving greatly reduced discounts on others?
Is that why NESN ratings have been way down last time I checked?
BTW – I watch via MLB Network, not NESN. And I attend mostly road games. I’m the last person to accuse of financially supporting FSG.
Sox have reportedly stated they could have a net loss this year, are you saying they are lying? Sure sounds like it.
dewey – Follow the timeline.
Red Sox lose a player they insisted they highly valued and wanted to keep, because they refused to give him a NTC and they insisted on ridiculous decades-long deferrals.
The immediate backlash was immense, and not just from fans.
Within a few days the Sox pivot to giving a pitcher comparable money to what they offered Bregman … and, guess what? Absolutely no deferred money.
What possible explanation could there be for making demands of a player they highly valued and truly wanted, and then soon after not making those same demands of a player who has never even been on the team before.
Fenway – “the Red Sox depth is built to sustain almost any injury.”
I’ll be reminding you of that quote if there’s an injury to an infielder or catcher, hope you stick around all year instead of disappearing like the typical preseason “rah-rah” fans always do when the team looks like they’ve fallen out of contention.
It’s great that you’re pumped now, I’m optimistic too, but don’t embarrass yourself with ridiculous claims and idiotic accusations of others being “trolls” just because they don’t wear the rosecolored glasses or drink the Koolaid 24/7.
Tang – You don’t always have to provide an A+ answer though.
Geno is a B+ answer, that’s good enough for me.
His defense scares me
Tang – Many of the better hitters are poor defensively, it’s rare to have GG defenders who can hit well.
I’d be more scared of signing Bo to a $300M+ contract without him ever playing a regular season game at 3B or 2B. The assumption he will easily master 2B is puzzling.
FPG: “What possible explanation could there be…”
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Don’t believe what people say. Watch what they do. They supposedly refused to talk about an extension with Bregman during season and they could have easily added the no trade clause to their offer. It could be that they actually did not find it essential to keep Bregman or actually wanted him to leave. He missed a lot of time last season and could hardly run when he returned. I’m OK with not signing him. I think he a high injury risk. The Red Sox may have felt the same.
FPG: “I’ll be reminding you of that quote if there’s an injury to an infielder or catcher”
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What a horrible way to act.
RSN having any hand in this is ludicrous. Ownership isn’t listening to us. That’s how Devers was extended.
bass – In the same post you say ownership doesn’t care about the impact fans have on revenue, and then you give an example where they absolutely did care.
This is EXACTLY the same situation as Raffy.
Not really Fever. We all knew a free agent would eventually be signed. Up to now, they hadn’t signed anyone.
You misunderstood. They did give in, and through their own actions, it failed spectacularly. They have no reason to listen now.
Don’t kid yourself into thinking you have any power over the Sox FO. They don’t make moves just because fools online complain.
He’s not a fool! Be nice to my son!
ken – Never own a business that provides a product, because you would lose your shirt treating potential customers that way.
Red Sox fans are not fools.
This isn’t about “complaining”, this is about putting a product on the field that fans would want to pay to see.
If you don’t think consumers have any power, go ask the makers of Bud Light or the owners of Target stores etc.
Really because the last time I checked there’s still Bid Light being sold in stores (although why people would pay for that swill is beyond me) and there are still loads of Target stores everywhere. So maybe your perceptions don’t match reality. And the Sox continue to have extremely stable revenue streams despite clowns like you whining every winter recently. Go figure.
Fever- I was hoping Early would be in the starting 5.
@Fever
With your logic, how many fans do you think will sell their season tickets because they lost Bregman?.How many sold their tickets when Ease Boggs, Pedroia, Clemens or whomever left the team? The team makes the moves HOPING the fanbase will be happy but they do what they do based upon what they feel is best for the team. Sometimes than means spending our sometimes than means cutting the payroll for future benefit.
Nor should they.
Wade, he still might be it in Boston or on another club. I’m thinking another deal or two involving Bello, Tolle, Harrison and even But less likely, Early is coming. Of they trade either Yoshida or Casas, I’m still thinking Suarez (DH only) is also a future signing).
King, don’t be an idiot. Bud light took a massive hit in the market and so did Target. At least have half a brain if you are going to post on here and take up our time reading it.
And Yes, fans matter at some level. And yes, upper management listens to them. Fans may not dictate outcomes, but they for sure influence them. One of my dear friends was a scout for the Sox for 11 years and been in many corporate meetings, and yes, it gets discussed on the regular…as it has impacts on TV deals, apparel sales, product placements, recruiting, community engagements, etc.
Dewey. What return for their pitching? Donovan? Then trade Casas in order to sign Suarez? Maybe get a relief pitcher for him?
Wade, Donovan hits left handed and I think they in the end want a strong defender who hits right handed as if they get a third baseman, Mayer moves to second. That’s why I think they go back to AZ.
Knicks – Sorry if you don’t think MONEY is the main factor for Henry when it comes to decisionmak8ng, especially with private equity, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Marte would be a big one.
@wbwr. I see more than a few 5 starter projections posted in here and you’re the only one to even mention his name. (That I saw) i find that a bit weird cause I would’ve expected his name at least as a possible in a few comments,but nooooooo?
They prob made this move to get people to buy tickets that go on sale today.
They do listen to the media and they know when their wallet is at risk.
Ken – Do you always prefer to dig deeper when you’ve dug yourself a hole?
So NOW you’re saying consumers had no impact on Bud Light sales or Target sales ….. strictly because they haven’t gone out of business yet? Seriously? So the massive drop in revenue had no impact on their bottom line?
Wow.
Sox – Here’s a little tidbit that I almost guarantee nobody else here is aware of ….
The deadline for renewing season tickets is TODAY.
It was NOT a coincidence the Ranger signing was announced yesterday.
Tang – Well said. Even though I’m not a huge fan of Bregman, he was really popular with a large portion of the fanbase. They needed to quickly do something to appease the fans after he signed with the Cubs, it’s just common sense.
Thats what is called correlation not causation. If the timing was motivated by season ticket sales Im pretty sure they’d have wanted this done by Sun or Mon at the latest. What good is it having it on the day of the deadline where some of those they wanted to sway in thos hypothetical would not have time to react last minute.
I know it must have been painful for you to say this was a good signing. But trying to spin it to take away credit from the front office is pretty laughable. Can’t you just be happy that Sox look even stronger today and be excited for the upcoming season?
Speculating a team is just going to shell out $130M to appease fans is anything but common sense.
I’m glad it’s not Valdez. I just hate that this only happens when they inevitably fail in every other way. They think they’re the smartest front office in the game and yet get outsmarted and out maneuvered every time.
Valdez is better and pitches a lot more innings.
Tang – I’d love to hear what the next highest offer was.
I’ve been surprised at how so few rumors have leaked out this offseason. Signings drop out of the sky without warning.
Fever- My guess is they will trade a younger pitcher. If they are trying to dominate with pitching I don’t think Bello is the one to move, as a number 4 pitcher he is solid. My guess is Tolle, but could even be Sandoval who is not young but potentially desirable as part of a package with an outfielder. Definitely looks like it will be a trade for a bat rather than Bichette.
My guess is if they got Bregman they would trade for a pitcher.
FPG
The Sox now possess the most quality and promising starters since I have been a fan of the team. I’m always about that pitching… I know the Arizona F.O. has said Marte is not going to be traded ,but I would definitely be calling to see if the Sox can give them a deal they cannot refuse. Do you believe Suarez is a legit #2 ??
A right-handed power bat is still needed. Your boy E. Suarez is still out there but after paying for this Suarez I don’t see them signing another big ticket item. A trade is coming ,,, but for whom?
cdc – hi! Yeah it very well could be the best rotation in my lifetime. No clue if a Marte deal could still happen, I guess it’s possible though. If Suarez is healthy he’s legit, I like him a lot. I agree Geno may be too expensive now. I’ll have to think about possible infielders beyond the usual Paredes, Donovan, etc.
Oh, so the FANS force Breslow’s hand, is that it?
Next time Breslow makes a move that ANYBODY on this or any other FAN chat board anticipates will be the first.
Yes, we forced him to make the Gray trade, the Contreras deal, the OBVIOUS swap for the Oviedo kid, and Ranger’s signing. No doubt.
Instead, we leap on whatever idiotic proposal a FAN, not the media comes up with (Skrubal was popular this year), and then blame Bres and Henry’s penuriousness when it doesn’t happen.
Breslow’s way smarter than anybody here, just accept it.
Mal – New here?
Several of us have anticipated moves that came to fruition. Some were based on what we read by the experts/insiders, and others were our own idea.
Speaking only for myself, I called the Devers trade MONTHS before it happened.
I also insisted including Teel in the Crochet deal was a horrible idea, and guess what? Breslow has acknowledged such by desperately trying to get Teel back.
I’m not going to get into all the mistakes Breslow has made, but rather I’ll just point out to you that NOBODY is perfect. EVERYONE makes mistakes, including your idol Breslow.
FPG
“Breslow desperately trying to get Teel back”
Can you give proof, maybe a link that backs up the ‘desperately’ part? Sounds more like what you want to believe, not what happened.
More likely Breslow had to include Teel to get Crochet deal done (worth it). And, since then, he has been trying to backfill catching prospects with new acquisitions. There’s nothing wrong with asking the WS about Teel’s availabilty. After all, he is a damn good young catcher.
Congratulations to the Red Sox and their fans!
Glad he’s out of the NL. Great pitcher and great story
Looks like the Sox decided to stop being cute and offered a fair straight cash deal to a worthy player.
Well done BoSox. The AL East is becoming more stout by the day.
Curious. Why doesn’t he “fit” with the Phillies this year?
@LD99 – Budget. They wanted him but hoped that the market would come back to them a bit. They still have a ton invested in the rotation, and if they were going to stretch the payroll on a long term deal they seem to be leaning to the lineup.
Lord, most likely money since they are still trying to sign Bichette and re-ink Realmuto.
Good signing. My fellow Cubs fans and I were hoping for him instead of Cabrera.
It depends on the circumstance. If the Cubs sign Ranger and that’s it. No thanks. If the Cubs trade for Cabrera and sign Bregman. Yes please.
Seems like a bargain for 5/130
Name change to Red Sock Suarez.
You would think with a name like Ranger, he was going somewhere else. 😁
Good get for them.
This will keep Sox fans quiet for at least another five minutes 🤣
Texas Rangers? It’ll keep them quiet until someone the Blue Jays sign Kyle Tucker.
I expect them to sign him. It really doesn’t matter. Toronto is the team to beat already.
3 tops…but this opens my mind to a milliom things as we are still loaded with prospects…would Breslow go to the Brewers for Paralta in a trade and try to extend him? WE NEED BICHETTE, DONOVAN OR MARTE more than any arm…hmm
Sure opens a lot up for possibilities however. Sox getting rings again soon…4 OF Studs, if we get a sure handed 2b or 3b who can hit 20…play good D, rings will come if the team (cough cough) can stay on the field all year.
AL East will definitely be the toughest division in baseball this year.
I hope Boston fans are finally happy. They have everything they could possibly want and more. If I hear one more Boston fan complaining about anything, I will drive from the West Coast myself and do something profane and unspeakable in the Charles River. Or maybe I’ll go streaking thru the Pats game just in my Seahawks jersey. So no more complaining, deal ?
Before responding Ignorant, please provide your measurements. Some may then buy Patriots tickets. As for the Charles River, you need to get original as you’re likely not the first nor will you be the last…
No not deal. Their lineup is fair at best. Who truly scares you in the sox lineup?
Anthony could be that guy but that’s a lot of pressure for a 22 yr old.
Just win a bunch of 3-1 games. The story will be about run prevention. Speaking of Story, if they’re going that route, plus plus defense at SS is crucial. Is Meyer a better defender than Story?? Maybe put Meyer at SS, Story can DH, and sign Geno Suarez to play third. 50 homeruns over that Monster would be pretty cool and much needed.
Story had a horrible September that makes his entire season look far worse. I’m thinking he was tired as it was the first time in years that he played a full season. As for Suarez, he is horrendous at third and big signed, should be the full time DH with Yoshida and Casas starting 26 in the minors if not gone.
Geno is not a horrible third baseman. He passes the eye test for me. He can make all the routine plays and he can even make the occasion magnificent play. I remember seeing a couple flubs too but nothing excessive or egregious. These public ratings on defense can be annoying to deal with. Each one is concerned over a certain metric and excludes others. I’m sure they are better than what we used to have looking at fielding percentage and errors, but I don’t spend much time with them.
Now that we are an extreme ground ball heavy rotation, little to no chance they sign or trade for a poor defensive infielder. I see a trade for Marte, Nico, or Donovan on the horizon. Love the move. The window is open. Time to be a little less hoardish with the prospects.
Malcolm Butler will hunt you down and ruin your day…. again.
Just because you’re annoyed doesn’t make it accurate. Boston has too many outfielders, not enough infielders and their offense is lacking. Starting pitching is set, but they can’t be done yet.
You just proved your ignorance, Ignorant.
We’re Sox fans. We’re all smarter than Bres or any other GM (except Theo), deserve championships, and expect Henry to blow his dough on the least-efficient way possible to acquire talent. When he doesn’t, we whine. When we haven’t heard of the acquired player (Oviedo, Bennett, others) we whine that they’re picking up “nobodies.”
As if a West Coaster could understand that. We are next-level when it comes to profane and unspeakable; y’all are too nice for that.
Sweet. Hope he does well for them
The Red Sox starting lineup looks pretty nasty right now.
1) Crochet
2) Suarez
3) Gray
4) Bello
5) Oviedo
With Cutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Connelly Early @ Peyton Tolle ready to fill in, not to mention another 4-5 starters are in the Red Sox top 11 in their farm system not including those mentioned above. This team is all of sudden drowning in starting pitching.
I wonder if Boston is looking to move Bello for an IF? They will have to move some of these pitchers as they just don’t have room for them all. I’d say their offseason isn’t done yet.
Well their starting lineup is missing thethumper in the middle of the order but we all know what you meant
Dottie, be it Bello or another pitcher or two, another deal that could involve non-pitcher MLB talent seems on the horizon.
Dorothy, don’t forget Harrison.
Baseballisthebest- I’m with you, I think Harrison is going to be a sleeper.
Dorothy- I would hold onto those 5 as we don’t need to reduce the potential dominance we could have. We all know injuries are likely, so my guess is a younger pitcher or package one with Sandoval or an outfielder. I agree this seems like one of multiple moves.
Need his name sake with us at 3B
I have a feeling that it will just be trades from now on, but who knows maybe we will have the Suarez twins.
@Dorothy not that it’s in the right thread, Sandoval showed a lot of talent. If he’s right, coming out of TJ surgery the BoSox might have a #2 or #3 in him. I’m waiting to see how things pan out for him. He has an absolute nasty change up (or had).
Good score Sox !
2nd half splits were not good, too much risk for $130 M
Cope better. It’s a fantastic sign.
It’s not cope, he does have a history of having fantastic first halves and rather mediocre second halves. He is very good when he is on..
If I’m not mistaken the postseason is in the 2nd half..where he has a 1.48 ERA over 8 stars (11 appearances). Cope better.
Isn’t it weird that he has bad second half’s and is dominant in the playoffs every year. 11 appearances 8 starts and a 1.42era
I wouldn’t call it fantastic. He’s an above average starter with declining velocity. Some think he’s better than he really is because he’s been good in the postseason.
He’s never had a bad season.
Nor great velocity. Accuracy and control are his specialty.
Yeah. Every time a team spends a lot of money on a free agent there’s fans calling it a huge overpay. Every effing time.
Guess what? That’s how much players cost. Get over it.
Greg Maddux thinks that’s good enough.
Bailey will find that missing velo…get him to the LAB
Its a massive overpay but that’s what it takes to sign a free agent these days
FanGraphs predeicted 5/$125
Why do you think it is an overpay
Ben Clemens at Fangraphs actually predicted 5/130 on the dot. The crowdsourcing was very similar. blogs.fangraphs.com/2026-top-50-mlb-free-agents/
congrats to him
There is no such thing as overpay. Whatever a free agent signs for is what the market says he is worth. His value is literally set by what he is paid.
Last season he had a 4.7 BWAR. He has averaged 3.2 WAR over the past 3 seasons. 4.7 is worth north of $47 million and 3.2 WAR is worth north of $32 million. His AAV on this deal is $26 million. Using that as your basis, he was underpaid.
Right. 29 of 30 teams say they won’t go that amount, but the last team to keep going more sets the market? I always thought market value was the average of the various prices, not the most outrageous.
WAR is not perhaps the ideal metric, but Skip’s right. To get a quality player on the FA market, a pitcher no less, for significantly less than his WAR-rated salary is very good business.
It’s not your money, Lasagna
based on what? era? because 2nd half he only had 3 games giving up more than 5 runs which ballooned his era…great signing you always overpay for good pitching
It’s based on his history, he has had amazing firsts/not so amazing seconds. He also has some injury history related to the number of innings pitched. It’s just who he is. It’s still a great signing, just pointing out something to possibly watch.
Yeah, xFIP in the second half was very similar to first and K-BB% was actually higher in the second half. It is true that his velocity has been going down in second halves and has been coming down since its peak in 2023. Most free agent pitchers are also not throwing at their peak velo due to age.
Ignoring 80% of data points is anti-scientific, which is why fip and xfip are meaningless.
K-BB% (which only covers two outcomes other than including PAs in the denominators) has the strongest correlation with the next year’s ERA. pitcherlist.com/the-relative-value-of-fip-xfip-sie…
Compared to FIP, xFIP, SIERA, xERA. and K-BB%, ERA has the weakest correlation with the next year’s ERA. With the contracts that players like Dylan Cease get, I think you can see that teams do not believe that FIP/xFIP are meaningless.
FIP is a good predictor of … FIP. Does poorly predicting ERA. Even the SABR people no longer claim it is an ERA predictor, despite what the person thought 6 years ago. It’s smoke-and-mirrors: create a coefficient and center it on league average ERA. Might as well use league average ERA as the ERA predictor, since it would do a better job.
Do you not understand that throwing out 80% of data points is anti-scientific? There is not one field of research that bases findings on selectively ignoring the overwhelming majority of outcomes. A batted ball that travels 420 feet and clears the LF fence at Oriole Park is “just luck” when it ounces off the Monster. LMFAO! If all batted balls were really just “luck,” as Bob McCracken claimed, we may as well watch Plinko or people playing slot machines.
Great move by Sox. Meanwhile back in his Tampa fortress of solitude, Steinbrenner in name only sits and watches the world go by.
Hi, I’m new to baseball. What am I missing?
The Yankees just traded for Ryan Weathers, who has years of control left. This was a sneaky good move by NY.
In parts of 5 seasons Weathers has a cumulative 0.9 fWAR.
He throws hard, but makes Suarez look like Cal Ripkin and Cy Young rolled into one.
The needle did not move on that trade at all.
Weathers is a good pick up because they need solid arms early to hold the fort until the vets come back. He is cheap and controllable.so they can still spend if they want to He cost all scratch ticket type prospects. He could still get better but even if he is average the pros out weigh the cons.
Hey look, they signed a Free Agent!
Now they can trade a pitcher or prospect to Phillies for Bohm if Phillies get Bichette
@MLB-Maybe Bello for Bohm now.
Bello is not being traded for anyone that doesn’t have multiple years of team control.
Absolutely NO
Why would the Red Sox trade for Bohm? Do you really think they can’t replicate his lackluster performance for MLB minimum or close to it?
Bohm will be a FA after 2026 and will make $10.2 million, a large amount of money for a guy that averages 1.5 WAR. No reason to give up anything of value for him and Bello has value.
That’s the kind of dollars-for-mediocrity you’ll find often on Dombrowski teams. He pays everybody; not everybody works out.
And Bohm’s a below-average fielder. With this staff they need a d-first 3B or 2B.. Would rather Mayer at 2B, or backup at three positions. Of the full-time 3B with a DRS of more than 1 (Bregman was a 1 in 2025), few are worth pursuing:
K. Hayes (+19), Arenado, Williamson in SEA, Urias, Nacho Alvarez can’t hit; Mikael Garcia (+13), Clement, Chapman and Ryan McMahon won’t be moved. Two names stand out:
1. Matt Shaw (+12) gets lost in the Hoerner chatter; good vs. lefties as a rookie, not so much vs, RHP,
2. Caleb Durbin (+5) is not Shaw’s level with the glove but a better hitter, with a 10% K rate. Of course, he’s just the type of guy the Brewers keep around.
But five years of Shaw on the left side, possibly with Mayer? Sign me up……
Mayer has a great arm that would be wasted at 2B. His biggest issue is health. The last 4 years he has missed a large amount of time to injuries each season.
Bohm is below average offensively and defensively, he is not worth trading anything for, as far as former prospects goes, he’s not a total bust, but as the kids say, he’s so 6-7 it screams.
Its essentially saying hes either a mid or he’s nothing which quite frankly are both correct in my estimation.
I want no part of Bohm and neither should the red sox. You can get an all bat like Suarez or an all glove like Moncada, but if you are below avg in both, you’re for all intents and purposes. worthless.
You should have said that instead, as it is actually desciptive.
Red Sox fans will probably stop begging breslow now until the trade deadline
Signing FA’s is not the only way to improve a team. They traded for 3 players that will all improve the team before this signing.
Yes, you can stop crying like a baby now.
Wow, sounds like a lot imo, but always good to see signings. Congratulations to all involved!
You don’t have to be so nice about it, Sal. Remember Red Sox fans and Yankees fans are supposed to hate each other. It’s a dog eat dog world. We can’t go soft in our old age. What is this world coming to ???
I am indeed well over fan hate and too old for that $#!+.
Heck yeah. Mega rotation !
I guess this means Framber, to the Orioles or Mutts now? We’ll see.
I’m sorry I’m late. I had to attend the reading of a will. I had to stay till the very end and I found out I received nothing. Broke my arm.
Well played Sack.
Hilarious scene…
Where there’s a will… there’s a beneficiary.
Gotta love a Spies Like Us reference!
Sad sack..))
Did not see that one coming
I don’t think any of us did, that came out of nowhere. Can’t complain when they had a solid pitcher ready to slot into #2. Should be a formidable rotation.
Wow. Big deal.
Shocked Heyman broke the news on a Boras guy.
For real, its so bad with those two.
This is actually a pretty awesome signing for the Sox. He will be great for them. And a pretty darn reasonable deal.
Contrary to what some people say, this is a team friendly deal for the Sox
Fair deal for both team and player.
Very surprised 😮
Yuck. Year 1 opt out?
That wasn’t reported when I made the comment
And a Year 1 opt out was?
No, it wasn’t. That was me, making an assumption based on the history of the team
So you just assume all Red Sox contracts have Year 1 opt outs until told otherwise?
Yes because aside from Yoshida and Story, every contract they’ve signed in the last 6 years has had one
Zero No Trade Clause & No Opt Outs
Love it! He was the FA starter I wanted. Rotation with Crochet, Gray, Suarez, Bello at the front in some order looks very strong.
I wonder if this is the off-season of ‘haters’. Boston needed Alonzo more then Baltimore, and Baltimore needed Suarez more than Boston.
Teams loading up on strengths.
Alonzo for Suarez trade? (Too soon?)
Technically yes as any free agents signed to guaranteed contracts cannot be traded until june 1st without their permission
June 15th
It’s June 15th
tbh I think the Sox needed another frontline starter. Maybe Peyton Tolle and/or Connelly Early can be that for them, but they couldn’t go into the season assuming they will be. Crochet/Suarez/Gray is an actual playoff-ready 1-3. Alonso would’ve been cool, but the pivot to Contreras + 1B not being the most in-demand lineup spot makes me pretty content with how these specific FA situations panned out.
Contreras is the better call. And I am a Mets fan. I wanted him to replace Alonso.
Waiting to see what is next.
You’ve got them in the right order.
I am so outraged right now.
I like the deal.
But… The Sox need to score runs now…. And this trade make me wonder why they traded for Sonny Gray.
But whatever. I’m happy they actually did something.
Agreed. Wonder if they trade Bello for Offense now. Hope not. Can never have too much Starting pitching these days.
They are not trading Bello…. his contract is inexpensive and slotting him in the #4 slot versus as a 2 will make him even better. Harrison and Crawford will get them Paredes from Houston.
I think they are likely after someone other than Paredes. Agree they should definitely not trade Bello.
PERALTA Trade coming then the infielder via Trade or FA.
I think we are done with pitching aside from a reliever, but assume an infielder is likely on the way.
They’re already about league average, and their kids are about to blow up. Plus they can still bring in Eugenio to corner the Suarez market and pepper the monster. Honestly, if the Jays can’t bring Bo back or sign Tucker, this is the best team in the AL.
Seam – the fangraphs projections for the offense isn’t great. It’s essentially Anthony and then praying that someone else can hit.
TOR is still leagues ahead of them.
fangraphs.com/projections?type=oopsy&stats=ba…
Sh
FanGraphs’ projections disagree.
They haven’t added Suarez yet, but
Jays 47 WAR
Yankees 46 WAR
Mariners 45 WAR
Orioles 43 WAR
Red Sox 43 WAR
Suarez is projected for 3.3 WAR. So, call that a….2 WAR increase since he’s not replacing a replacement player. Bring Boston about even with the Mariners. An within spitting distance of Toronto
Fangraphs has what I believe are unrealistic projections for the PT of Story, Mayer, and Gonzalez, and the guys behind them are replacement level at best.
One injury and the infield collapses.
WT2026
“Fangraphs has what I believe are unrealistic projections”
Oh. Well, OF COURSE you are right and they are wrong.
Who knows? But how often in the last three years have Story, Mayer, and Gonzalez each made 100 starts (at any level)?
It is a known bias in their system, they project assuming health. Which is generally fine, since nobody knows where injury will strike. The problem is that right now the Red Sox have nothing behind them. Over the course of a 162 game season, teams need depth, and right now the Red Sox have no quality depth behind the projected starters.
Suarez is forcing Sandoval out of the starting rotation. I don’t pay much attention to Fangraph’s projections because the margin of error is so large, so you will have to tell me what he was projected to do before this signing. I would think with an innings limit and coming off internal brace surgery and with rehab that didn’t go well that he might be projected at a 4.35-4.50 ERA and 80 IP. Maybe a 0.8-1.2 bWAR?
The Red Sox over/under on wins went from 87.5 to 89.5 with this signing. Jays are at 93.5 wins. Yankees also at 93.5 wins, Mariners are at 90.5 wins, Tigers are at 87.5 wins. Astros are at 86.5 wins. Orioles are at 85.5 wins. The guys that set the official lines in Las Vegas are better at predicting win totals than Fangraphs.
The Red Sox went from a +400 to a +300 to win the AL East with this signing. They are now a +600 to win the pennant, ahead of the Blue Jays who are at +700.
I think Sandoval was projected to 109 innings? No idea what he will actually be able to do this year.
I’ll buy that over-under. Big improvement from where they were yesterday. Still a WC team, most likely, but it is now probable that they make the playoffs.
Still think they need to add one more infielder, but hope you are right that Campbell can be that guy.
You know those Vegas lines move with betting volume right?
Juan, Fangraphs posts multiple projection systems. FGDC has a 15-20% MOE for hitters depending on which stat and which year you are quoting. That is huge. As an example a 15% MOE is the difference between a .270 BA projection and the player ending up with an actual BA of a .229 on the low end or a .311 on the high end. As bad as that is for hitters, for pitchers it is not even close to that accurate with an MOE of 15-30% depending on whether its rate or counting stats.
The most accurate one they post is Steamer and it has an 12% MOE on rate stats and 15–20% on counting stats.
Projection systems are mostly not useful.
Of course. That line on OD has been within a couple wins either way for as long as I have been making wagers.
The opening line and the line after each change in roster like this signing is set by the odds makers. You do know that, right?
Could not have explained it better myself.
You’re better off just looking at a player’s previous 2-3 seasons of work but even that isn’t always going to help. Especially for players in their thirties, you can almost toss out every predictive model as being useless.
WHAT LOL they are loaded with depth
Crawford, Sandoval, Harrison, Tolle, Early, Farm is Witherspoom, Bennett, Sandlin & Phillips. Tanner Houch when healthy is very good lost for 26 or tge greater part. Still have Noah Song although I have zero idea where his career is ATM? But depth on the mound is no issue.
Yanks are nowhere near that. Sox brutilized them last year and lost a short series due to injury barrage of Bregman, Anthony and several arms
His D is not holding down a Starting spot in the INF for sure, and not the OF because the other 4 are better in all ways on both D and offense, even Masa hit wise. Campbells best hope is he hits and plays good enough OF in AAA to be traded, or until Story and Contreres leave for 2028. No chance Campbell makes the infield. Just nowhere near good enough on D
Skippy
“The guys that set the official lines in Las Vegas are better at predicting win totals than Fangraphs.”
Citation requested
NC
“You’re better off just looking at a player’s previous 2-3 seasons of work”
How do you think projections work?
library.fangraphs.com/principles/projections/
I mean it’s all right there. I see it as not much more than a fancy way of compiling pre-existing data so that you can charge a subscription fee.
NC
It is all right there. And what’s what you got out of it?
I mean, first, it’s free…
Skip, Vegas doesn’t project based on a chance of winning; their algorithms are based on gambling and it simply suggests they believe more betters in the U.S. who use their facilities or apps will bet on Boston as compared to Toronto.
SF
“That line on OD has been within a couple wins either way for as long as I have been making wagers.”
Citation requested
You realize that is based on the stupid money over reacting to a signing right? Best bet right now is the Jays to win the east and if you can get the Jays at +700 you should jump on it
I’m not into Tucker at 400 mill. D wise he’s no better than the 4 we have, more HRs 29 but a lefty. I would love to see a 7/210 or 8/240 for Bichette however.
I can see where they’re coming from on the “you can never have too much pitching” attitude because we have witnessed multiple times in the last few years where our offense held up much better than expected but the pitching staff broke down and couldn’t hold us up.
I agree, I still want one more legit high end bat. Think it’s safe to say Bichette is firmly off the table – any tiny chance they may have splurged on him is probably killed by giving $130M to Suarez. I’m going to assume $165 million is the high water mark for what they’re willing to commit on long term spending this winter, so assuming that leaves about $30 million to play with, maybe that leaves just enough carved out to be able to go get Eugenio Suarez. He was never my favorite option but he should be passable for a year or two.
Otherwise, maybe they might yet still try to cook up a trade for the missing bat. There’s so much pitching depth now they can certainly spare an arm or even two, plus there’s the surplus of outfielders. Donovan or Hoerner should be attainable with the assets we have at hand to play with.
Dirty – Breslow said he’s not trading an outfielder. It was “never likely”. masslive.com/redsox/2026/01/red-sox-trade-of-outfi…
Sure things can change, but they don’t seem interested in trading from that surplus.
I agree 100% that you cannot never have enough pitching, but you also need to score runs to win baseball games and this current Red Sox lineup is going to struggle hard to score runs.
I’m concerned that they don’t have enough quality infielders to cover 2B/SS/3B. Nothing against Story, Gonzalez, or Mayer, but they won’t be available for 162 and the roster is very thin after that.
Otherwise the team has some real strengths.
I know he’s said that, but I don’t believe everything they say. Sometimes they mean it, sometimes it’s just posturing. I wouldn’t be shocked if that comment was just a negotiation through the media tactic to signal that just because they should trade an outfielder doesn’t mean they’re going to take any crappy offer on one just to get it done. But we’ll see.
I see another infielder in their future. With the abundance of pitching and outfielders, it is very unlikely that Breslow is done. I think he is in win it now mode, while also building for sustained success.
Dirty- My guess is the spending is done but not the trading. Could still be some big surprises coming up. I don’t think anyone saw this signing so who knows what else Breslow is working on.
I think you’re right. Clearly they’re averse to big free agent deals – not so much that they won’t ever hand one out as we just saw this afternoon, but enough that they’re not ever going to try to “win the offseason” and pursue multiple big deals at once. So anyone hoping this means they’re going to join Philly in a bidding war for Bichette, don’t hold your breath on that. Extremely doubtful. Eugenio Suarez seems like a possibility though, if his market stays cold enough they may be able to get him on just a 1 or 2 year deal without a gigantic dollar commitment. But I’m with you it seems a trade is more likely, and the players rumored to be available via trade are a lot more appealing than E. Suarez anyway.
The roster is incomplete but has two areas of obvious surplus from which to trade. They have to be working on something on the trade market.
No they’re not. If healthy… That is the only caveat
Gray is better than people think. Sox fans should be excited.
And the still have Duran and possibly Bello to use for needs.
You can never have enough pitching. Offense can literally come from anywhere. I doubt they sign a bat but if they can get Casas healthy and Kristian Campbell right (he’s had a decent winter ball. .245 avg but only 12 k’s and 13 walks in 62 PA’s) that would go a long way to solving the offense. A healthy season from Yoshida could be big too.
If “offense can literally come from anywhere” so can pitching.
If Casas is healthy, he doesn’t have a spot on the roster with Contreras and Yoshida and if he doesn’t get big league ABs he can’t rebuild trade value.
Campbell would just add to the OF surplus.
Sox really need a RHB at either 2B or 3B that has some pop, otherwise scoring runs will be difficult.
If Casas takes a big step forward with his bat this year I’d have no reservations at all about giving Yoshida the Rusney Castillo treatment, and the front office shouldn’t either. That gives him something to work for – they didn’t totally give up on him this winter, he can still play his way back into the mix. If Casas starts raking they will find him a spot whether it’s 1B or DH.
Campbell will be at 2B with Mayer at 3B unless a 3B is added, then Mayer will be at 2B. I don’t expect another addition, but i didn’t expect Suarez so Breslow may yet surprise us again
It would hurt but make Atlanta an offer they can’t refuse for Austin Riley.
Rking – I was thinking of who the Sox could target as a 2B/3B option that would be remotely available and my mind went to Riley and JRam. I thought that while neither is very realistic, JRam was more realistic because of how Cleveland tends to operate. But either would require a massive trade.
I remain hopeful Campbell will grow enough to force the issue at some point later on in the summer, but he is still just 23. I don’t want to count on him having to fill a major role on Opening Day again. Let him keep working so next time he gets promoted it’ll be out of readiness rather than necessity.
That’s one thing I like about the likeliest trade targets. Hoener and Donovan don’t have a ton of team control left, which should not only make their acquisition cost a bit more palatable but it brings in help for the current big league team without blocking Mayer or Campbell in the big picture.
My favorite option might be Paredes since he could always slide over from third to first to accommodate Mayer and Campbell, but Houston seems less and less likely to trade him.
Campbell is done at 2b not remotely close on D to be MLB, swing is long, got him into trouble in MLB sustaining his ok start on Offense. But the D is not close, not AAA D.
He has rebuilt his swing, much shorter now.
RS were 7th in the league last year in runs scored. While not the only stat that matters, it’s a good sign. Cont in Breg out, those same players should still score a lot. Full season from Anthony, maybe Mayer is better, Casas maybe contributes. I think the O will be fine. I hope the D is, and 2 or 3 of the young pitchers sparkle.
For all the (usual) doom & gloom spouted about the RS, I think they’re looking more than half decent, and the (near) future is bright.
Is this an overpay for a slightly above average lefty, or a good investment in a durable quality #2/3 starter who’ll shorten games for the Sox?
I’m wondering if that 130 number is real or if there are deferrals involved. Over estimate for him as-is but idk, 26mil AAV for Ranger doesn’t seem like that big of an overpay.
Good point — 70M deferred on Bregman. You’d think there has to be on a presumed pivot (~50M deferred?)
I don’t feel like I can trust any reported contract numbers anymore xD
Never mind, article specifies no deferrals now. Still okay with the price tag; 5/130 vs. the 5/110 I saw projected doesn’t feel like a massive gap.
According to the article there are no differals and no opt-outs. So the number is real
Slight bargain if your medical staff knows what they are doing. Easily a #2 starter.
My #1 favorite past-time is now ruined. Oh how I used to love scrolling thru Red Sox posts, and reading gleefully and with much schadenfreude as RS fans melted down and had rage fests over Breslow and the vast ineptitude of the front office. My one joy in life has been taken away from me. Thanks a lot Breslow, guess I will have to go find something productive to do with my life now. Oh what a dark day.
Don’t worry plenty of complaining left until they get another bat. You know we can never be satisfied. Well maybe if we trade for Ohtani, but there is a better chance of us being invaded by Martians.
No deferrals, no opt outs, zero trade protection. 5/130 26mill AAV
Durable?
He’s never started 30+ games in a season, and has had some reoccurring back issues.
While I like the signing, as it actually raises the deiling of the rotation, I wouldn’t call him durable.
With this kind of a deal they must have done their research and I am sure he has gone through a thorough physical review. They have blown it with injured pitchers before so they must be confident he is in good shape.
Looked at in the context of the crazy this offseason – the Cease deal, the Tucker offers, the Bichette ask – this is sane, defensible, and a good deal. Exactly the approach I hoped Breslow would take. .
Shots fired
Holy crap we signed somebody! Really did not see this one coming at all, either. I like it though, Suarez has been a very nice pitcher for Philly and I’m sure that will continue for us in Boston. I do wonder if this officially means another bat isn’t coming – will be a little disappointed if that’s the case – but a real investment in high quality starting pitching is always a good move.
Dirty – Perhaps Donovan to the Sox, and Bloom gets to pick one of 5 SP’s currently on the Sox (obviously not including Crochet or Gray).
I am a no to Donovan and I am a no to selling Bello unless it is something very big. Donovan does not do anything for me. I know the stats and prowess – just no. For other trades other than Donovan they could move Sandoval and $ and Kutter and I would be ok with that, but that wouldn’t amt to too much on the return..
I’m with you on not wanting to trade Bello for the sake of it. If some fantastic trade comes together for a middle of the order bat and the other team insists on Bello in the return, maybe. But short of that pipe dream scenario I want and expect him to be firmly in the plans for 2026.
With 4 outfielders and legitimately 10 guys who are good enough to hold a spot somewhere in an MLB rotation I have to think a trade is coming, right? Even though we need power, I’d still be very happy with Hoerner or Donovan.
I would think Uberstine would be of greatest interest to the Cards, no? Donovan is good but I don’t think he’s good enough to where Tolle or Early should be on the table. But since they are leaning into a rebuild they’re going to want someone whose service time clock hasn’t started yet. Uberstine shot up the ranks nicely and pitched well at both AA and AAA. He’s 26 and not going to leapfrog Early or Tolle, so he’s never going to get a chance here unless 3 or 4 guys all go down in one season again. STL would be able to give him big league innings to see if there’s anything there. Maybe sweeten the deal with Chaim’s former top pick from ’22, Mikey Romero?
Dirty – I would think they’d have to unload guys from a group that includes Crawford, Oviedo, Sandoval (not likely until mid-year), Harrison, Tolle, Early, and yes Bello.
Realistically they’ve got Crochet, Gray, Suarez, Bello and Oviedo right now. I can’t picture them keeping all five others in the minors. One might go into the BP, that’s probably it.
I’d say no to any of Tolle, Early, Bello unless it’s for Marte.
Would Harrison be enough to get Donovan?
And if they don’t move anyone, that staff at Worcester is going to be lights out.
You might need to add something to Harrison if he’s the centerpiece of a Donovan trade, but I would think he is good enough to be a big part of the return, yes. He’s 24 with untapped upside and a bunch of team control left. Probably need to toss in a lottery ticket to compensate for the year of service time he’s accrued already but it shouldn’t have to be a top prospect.
Fever- Tolle, Harrison, and Sandoval seem the most likely, but does Donovan provide enough upside or do they make an offer on Marte that they can’t refuse and he comes back on the trade market.
There is also the possibility something is in the works that has not gone public with a player/team that has not been focused on.
Don’t understand the fascination on Donovan,,,, Sox don;t need another Left Handed Bat, and although he had a nice season, he lacks pop and is average defensively..
Play the kids and see what you got.
Fever…. Tolle is a Reliever… he doesn’t have enough secondary pitches to be a starter…. Think of him as a Lefty Mason Miller… that’s how the Sox should use him this year.
Send back Romero, &/or any of Sogard, Eaton, Hamilton
If it’s me I check in on Peralta now, snag him as a rental, try to extend, then you snag a solid infielder anywhere, from those mentioned. Or save your Soto pennies and go after Skubal or maybe trade for Skubal now and try to extend. Tons of options now.
For me what I like personally about Donovan is that he’s good enough to represent a legitimate upgrade over our other in-house options and provides a slightly above average bat, but he isn’t so good that his trade value would command premium prospects, nor is he so good that we would need to have any reservations about moving on from him if and when Campbell or somebody else is knocking down the door ready to take over second base.
As I’ve also said in some other comments, if it’s up to me I’d rather have Paredes most of all. It just seems Donovan has a much higher likelihood of actually being traded.
I think we wait until next offseason to make a run at Peralta depending on how our current rotation works out this year. We now have so much depth I don’t see the need to add more pitching. We need another bat to put us over the top.
I am wondering if Marte comes back into play with the right offer or maybe there is a mystery player they have not discussed yet. I am not sure if either Donovan or Paredes add enough power to the lineup to be better than in-house options. Granted our infield depth is not great unless Rafaela is at short and they keep all the outfielders.
The two legit knocks on Donovan are he’s another lefty, and he doesn’t boost our power hitting. But he is a good enough contact hitter I think he’d be perfect to put behind Roman. Most of our hitters have too much of a propensity to strike out, so if we aren’t going to add thump we might as well go for someone who will put the ball in play plenty.
Paredes I think absolutely has the power profile we’re missing, and from the right side too. Problem being the Astros probably view the likelihood of one or both of Correa missing extended time or Walker falling off a cliff that they seem more inclined to keep him. Would be thrilled if we could pry him away though. I think his bat would play great at Fenway.
Immediate hang up if the ask is for Tolle, Harrison and Sandoval for Donovan,. We don’t need a light hitting Donovan IMO.
… sigh.
Puts a lot of pressure on us to sign framber now.
Mike, Mike, Mike…at least we scored Big Christmas to Norfolk, yeah?
Red Sox are going with a 25 man rotation
Pretty sure you can only carry 13 pitchers.
Last year they used 35.
At a time.
Lol these commentators thinking you can use 25 35 pitchers at the same time lol.
Then Aaron Judge can hit 25 home runs in a single at-bat.
Sarcasm, bud
I rec’d his comment and I know it’s sarcasm but I just put it in. Also, I’m pretty sure AI GM’s comment was also sarcasm.
14 after 9/1/26
The John Henry Hoarder Episode
Feels like it did when they F’d up letting Xander go and they extended Devers. Now granted Suarez was a free agent signing but it feels like this is ownership trying to win back favor after they severely F’d up the Bregman re-sign. It won’t work in that respect but it is an addition. We’re still no better than last year
Eh, I agree that this might be Henry’s way of responding to backlash. But this at least seems less crazy than Devers extension did. Though I disagree we are no better off. The rotation has incredible potential on paper. Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello, Oviedo has potential to be one of the best.
Offensive, yes we need something more but a full year of Anthony does also help.
Agreed….get creative for a basher at 2B or 3B. I would assume we are out of the Bichette business.
Offensively, they’re no better. I don’t like this deal but he almost HAS to be better than Buehler…
I would imagine SD would gladly trade Xander back if you want him and that contract. One of the best moves in Boston history was not matching beating that contract. Not far behind that was Devers trade.
Xxxander was a disaster contract, So was Bregman, and Devers is a DH essentially. All 3 good moves they went to reasonable amounts but those 3 are all bad contracts. And yes we needed to trade mookie when we did. This mgmt team strategy is working and the next 5 to 7 yrs will be real good. Rings comin
This will free up a higher level prospect for a trade. Donovan market between Giants and Sox is about to get hot.
Or they could just double down on Suarez’s today.
Great move by Boston. Excellent 1-2 punch with Garrett Crochet. Also, I guess no Bo Bichette or any other big free agents. I like this move, Boston wants to compete, that’s why you forfeit draft picks and bonus pool.
Love it when teams do these moves for championship contention. And this will get Valdez and the others signing. Great for Suarez to see sense and Boston to get it.
Guess this means the Peralta, Ryan and Ragans chat can now stop.
Good, not great signing.
I think they could just do Peralta and inquire about the extention. Then go get your bat.
Great move. We Phillies fans wish Phillies had passed on Nola last year and resigned Ranger. Now I can root for Red Sox too.
Scary team. Now the deepest rotation in the AL, with a legit #1 and two mid-rotation guys. They still could use a 3B, and Eugenio is out there and a perfect fit.
Deepest, but not better than Seattle
Larry – Yanks rotation later in the year won’t be too shabby either, and neither will the Jays rotation.
NY if healthy is there in the AL, Dodgers I think still on top Rotation wise. What is Seattles Starting 5?
sweet baby jesus
what in the f are teams thinking these days handing out these absolutely insane contracts for mid players?
A lefty in Fenway? Hope he can keep the ball down to right handed hitters.
It’s actually a great park for lefties who know how to pitch there.
Crochet?
He’s a ground ball pitcher. Is that good enough for keeping the ball down to righties?
Top 3 rotation after This move
Red sox are scary!
Getting there 1 more Ace 1 More Bat. By 2028 it’ll be rocking but might be from now on…if they finish this offseason strong. Need Peralta or Skubal.
This signing makes a trade involving a young Red Sox pitcher even more likely. Perhaps they can convince the Diamondbacks to reconsider a Ketel Marte trade by including an arm like Payton Tolle in a deal.
Apparently Red Sox fans haven’t caught on with the memo. Ketel Marte is NOT going to be traded.
Well they found the wallet, but where’s Bo?
Hanging out with Luke
And how about Daisy?
I smell a ketel marte trade coming next.
Early or Tolle AZ would want as headliner now more available to tempt them.
Glad you took this Suarez not the other one. Maybe the Pirates can sign Geno still!
Sad to see him go, but happy for Ranger.
Good signing. A little more money than predicted, but not way out of sight.
To be fair, I was predicting for 160 million.
Great signing by Red Sox. Bad non-signing by Baltimore, not only not getting him but facing him in the div. Yuck.
Pretty reasonable deal really. Gives me hope that Os still have a chance with Framber
Now that they missed out on Bregman, I feel like Paredes is a great fit for that ballpark.
Kyle Harrison and Allan Castro for Issac Paredes.
Who says no.
As a Red Sox fan I would do that trade and I think Harrison is going to be much improved this season.
Paredes is not a good defender but I think the Astros say no. They would have to believe Cam Smith can go back to 3B and play it competently and Jacob Melton is ready to take over a spot in the OF. Factor in the saving from moving Paredes lets them resign Valdes or go grab or trade for a starting pitcher.
I agree the Red Sox should move Harrison while there is bloom on the rose. I don’t have confidence he is going to live up to the hype.
You do not know the Astros. Melton was traded to the Rays. Smith is the everyday right fielder.
This deal makes the orioles offseason a great one to a poor one. This was money the Os could have shelled out. Now only 32 year old a bit overweight Framber is left. Unless he’ll take a 3 year deal he ain’t coming to Baltimore. A prayer and a hope for the pitching staff isn’t the way to go into the season.
If I’m signing Valdez I’d be more worried about whether or not he’ll bean my catchers during one of his toddler tantrums.
What do you think about Gallen to the Orioles ? I would prefer him over Temper Tantrum Framber actually.
Let’s see if he will make 30 starts or pitch 160 innings this year. I am interested to see how this turns out.
His 91.3 mph fastball does sound daunting.
Is this the number 2 guy Breslow wouldn’t get?Are we as fans somewhat happy for once?Do we need to trade an outfielder to get a young superstar 2nd baseman?Do we need to unload Story because he is injury prone?Do we unload Mayer because he has always been injured?Will Anthony become a huge superstar or become the next prospect who didn’t reach his potential?
Yes, you still have a lot questions to answer. No sitting on your laurels yet. You can’t win the World Series just on paper. Remember who runs the team and who is managing in the dugout. You can’t just throw random piles of detritus on the walls to see what sticks. There needs to be a plan. And that’s why they play the games. Go Seahawks.
Didn’t think Suarez would net that big of a contract nor going to Boston. Don’t see why Valdez would sign a short term deal now nor do I see Tucker taking 3 yrs/$120M from Mets.
You didnt see a starting pitcher with a 130+ ERA+ at age 29 getting 26MM AAV? It seems very fair value imo
Whatever this means
They will take what’s available. Personality and injury concerns could be a factor. Number of bidders left.
His fastball is a robust 91.3 mph.
Considering what pitchers are making nowadays this is a massive underpay.
Jarred: what should he have gotten? Should he fire his agent?
No to firing his agent, but I think a 30M AAV would have sounded right considering that on a rate basis he’s better than Cease and he is right in line with Gray as far as WAR/162. He might like the city of Boston and how the organization is going as well. Might not be all about the money as 4M/yr is chump change when he’s already making 9 figures by the end anyway.
Valdez is 2 years older. I see him getting a deal that takes him to age 36.
Congrats Red Sox fans! You guys got a pretty good starter, and he’s very fun to watch field his position. Breslow needed to make a move and this is a great signing!
You don’t have to be so nice about it acoss. Remember it’s a dog eat dog world.
Aww I would have said nice things if it was the Mariners too, I love this sport too much lol
Don’t need to rush the youngsters now. Let them develop naturally.
Why did it have to be Boston
The Northern Southpaws.
Hmmmm…. This makes no sense. He’s a good pitcher but I feel just kinda “meh” about it. Can’t ever have enough good pitching.
Pivoting from Bregman to Ranger Suarez is certainly a choice. Embarrassing offseason for the Red Sox so far.
I like Ranger Suarez better than Bregman going forward.
Ugh. That’s reasonable contact. No excuse for Baltimore to fail to beat this. The Red Sox need was less.
bad news for my yankees
love watching this guy pitch
Loved Ranger. Man was cool as a cucumber in the post season. He might not give you 200 innings (or even 175) in the regular season, but what he gives you is going to be good. Wish him nothing but the best.
These free agent starting pitching prices are why teams like Seattle won’t trade from their rotation. It’s just too expensive to replace with free agents. A team must overpay in a trade offer to even get a franchise to consider.
Casuals constantly crap on Dipoto for his relative inaction every offseason (which isn’t entirely his fault as ownership won’t let him spend stupid money), but man, he sure knows what he’s doing with what he has.
best of luck to ranger, long as it doesn’t come against the phils
I like the Gray, Suarez, and Oviedo acquisitions, though I have to wonder how many SP the team really needs, especially with Harrison, Early, and Tolle in the wings? Cornering the market on LHP perhaps? At least that is better than cornering the market on LHH DH types.
I still don’t see them getting 486 GS out of Story, Mayer, and Gonzalez, and the depth behind those three is very weak. Sogard? Hamilton? Gray? The rotation is studly, but the offense is looking very thin.
Wonder if this signing heralds a trade of a LHP prospect for an infielder?
One of Harrison, Tolle or Early are likely to be included in a trade for Paredes, since Houston wants MLB-ready pitching back.
I would offer Harrison, perhaps, but not the other two. Dunno if that is enough.
I would do Harrison and 1 or 2 prospects, depending on the prospects.
Take that back, I would do it for Harrison and a prospect ranked around the 20s for Paredes, or maybe one in the bottom 20s and one or two lotteries.
Astros fan here.
Houston would like MLB ready pitching back, but they aren’t going to be like, you know what, that’s not MLB ready pitching, I’m not trading with you. And not like, that doesn’t slay you, I’m not trading with you.
They will look for left handed bats too, and maybe give a package of prospects? We need more farm depth, and the roster is almost there.
Wait, the Red Sox used 15 different pitchers to start games last season. 9 started 5 or more games. The reason I used 5 as the cut off is that is a typical month of starts. Wouldn’t you rather have depth that is a solid #4-#5 instead of a AAA starter?
486 games? Why would those 3 have to start all 162 at different positions?
Story is the starting SS.
Mayer is the starting 3B
If either gets 140 GS at their given position that is fantastic.
Gonzales is strictly a platoon bat and he plays against the short side of the platoon. Unless there is a massive injury like losing Casas for the year, he might get 60 starts with another 30 games as a pinch hitter/fill in.
Remember Campbell? He was not paid all that money to sit in Worcester. He will play and it won’t be in the OF unless someone gets traded.
Hamilton started 42 games at 2B last season and had positive WAR. He can’t hit a lick, but he plays great D. He will play some.
Sogard played 4 IF positions last year and hits a bit better than Hamilton but doesn’t play the slick defense. He will also get some starts across the IF.
Today a team needs a 40 man roster to complete a season, not 9 guys.
If you want a star at every position, Bichette is still out there and can be moved to either 3B or 2B until Story’s deal is over after 2027.
Sounds like we are on the same page with Story, Mayer, and Gonzalez. Would be thrilled with 140+140+60 which leaves 146 games to start between the three positions, basically another full time player.
I haven’t forgotten Campbell, but his defense at 2B last year was dreadful and everything I’ve heard suggests that the team is seeing him as an OF going forward. If he earns the starting job at 2B then I agree that the depth issue is solved. But they need that third starter (Gonzalez isn’t really it), and I’m not confident that Campbell fills that role.
Hamilton did collect +0.1 WAR last year, but that is basically replacement level. Agreed that he is a solid enough platoon 2B from the left side, a good defender there.
Sogard is solid enough but also replacement level.
The good news is he is a solid #3 pitcher. Even though the Sox could use a 1A or a good #2 their rotation looks to be above average and with real depth, unlike last year.. Now they need to do something about 2B/3B and RH bat. Maybe this means Bello, Tolle or Early are going in some trade?
As it sits the rotation is:
Crochet
Gray
Suarez
Bello
Oviedo
Primary depth:
Crawford
Sandoval
Early
Tolle
I think Early finds a way to sneak in as a starter.
My guess is Early will be in either Houston or St. Louis.
Heck of a contract for a #3 who can’t even rank ahead of Gray. Good luck getting your 1a. Probably shouldn’t have traded Sale for a average 2b prospect.
Hearing rumors of a trade coming that includes Duran and Early. Some are saying 3 team. Others just with Padres straight up.
Goose: Reminder: there is no position in baseball called a #1A starter, nor a #3, or a #2. It’s just fan blather. In the post season, yes you order your starters but apart from that, it’s just conversation fodder.
As a Braves fan who watched him for several years the Sox got a good one, his health is a little shaky but he’s great in the post season.
If the Red Sox need another SP the Mets have Senga for OF Duran, I know there would be others included but if the Mets don’t get Tucker or Bellinger they’ll need someone
Solid deal. Red Sox rotation finally looks set after all these years.
What’s next?
If he can give them 3 years like 2024 and 2025 during the five year contract, I’d consider him a good pick up.
I actually was hoping he would shift over to the Braves, he was always a good pitcher against us, BoSox FO chose well. I was surprised that the Phillies did not want to retain him.
Woah. That’s a deep staff the Sox have now.
Boston will now include either Tolle or Early in a trade for Paredes.
Or Donovan. Yeah, likely. Or they could just sign the other Suarez for third. Lots of options.
Tolle will be where he belongs next year…. in their Bull Pen. Early will not be traded. Harrison, Sandoval and Crawford are the 3 Pitchers that will be used for trading purposes.
Tolle is rated the top pitching prospect in the majors. If he goes in a deal it is going to be a blockbuster.
Paredes is a poor defender and a decent hitter. Donovan is a solid player all around. A package that includes Harrison and another solid prospect would get it done for Donovan. Paredes would depend on where the Astros think they are. Rebuilding/retooling or is their window still open?
I’d love to see the Rockies trade for Bello, since he induces a lot of grounders.
I don’t know what the Rockies would trade that works for the Red Sox. Goodman is probably their best MLB trade chip but it would have to be Bello and probably Harrison and a good position player prospect. It makes sense for both teams but those type deals never happen.
if you can;t sign the hitters you want, sign the pitching you need. great move
Breslow is playing chess with this move
That’s a high AAV for a starting pitcher with a career high 151 innings..
The quality of those innings are what they’re paying for. He’s really good.
$26? That’s nothing.
157
His fastball at a fierce 91.6 mph is something I might even get some wood on.
There was next-to-no chance the Phillies would’ve re-signed him, but there was still a teeny tiny part of me that was hoping.
I do find it interesting that the hot stove was almost entirely silent about him from the moment the Phillies were out of the post-season… and then all of a sudden he’s got a deal in place, with a team that few people were predicting he’d end up with.
Love the signing, and I agree with the pivot to pitching. Without Bregman they will score fewer runs, but with Suarez maybe they will allow fewer runs on the other side. I am still hopeful for another piece or two to put a cap on an interesting off season.
Still time before the season starts, and they have plenty of resources to make another good move.
Mariners have done nothing. We are so screwed. I am going to start taking greenies.
Wow, this staff has come together pretty, pretty, pretty good.
This takes some sting off losing Bregman, but I hope they’re still looking to add a bat.
Where are all the miserable Red Sox fans that eat up every piece of bait that the Boston media puts out there now?
Ranger will be missed, good for him getting the bag. He will give you a solid 100 to 110 innings. He’s lost time the last 3 years.
I’m happy he didn’t go to the Mets or another NL rival. This guy is a stud with ice in his veins.
As a Phillies fan I always loved watching Ranger pitch. This guy is a surgeon out there on the mound. Staying healthy was the only concern as he never pitched 160 innings in a season not counting the playoffs. I wish him great health and a few 20 win seasons for the Red Sox.
Who needs Ranger when you have the great contracts of Nola and Walker?
I don’t think the Phillies let him go if he was able to stay healthy consistently. But 40,000 people will be on their feet when Ranger makes his Philly return.
Red Sox O/U moved to 89.5 wins with this signing.
As a Yankee fan, this is the first move by an opportunity that I truly hated to hear. He’s been filthy vs the Yanks, and lefties in general. Would’ve a nice for on any team. Why the Phillies let him walk?
The Phillies didn’t have that kind of budget and are worried about an already aging team and also are hoping Painter will step up. He has has some injury issues the last couple of years but he has been money in the playoffs.
Not sure how reputable Yahoo! Sports is but they just reported the Mets have upped the offer to Tucker from 3 years to 4.
Pressure is now on Elias to get Valdez done. I preferred Suarez but too late. At least the deal makes more sense than the one Cease got.
Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello, Oviedo/Early/Tolle. That, on paper, is a pretty damn good rotation
And Sandoval, Crawford, Harrison and numerous others (Sandlin, Uberstine) right behind them. Gotta trade 1 or 2 of them; BP can’t ALL be starters and not even enough room at AAA for everyone. Good problem to have if they use the surplus to get a strong infielder.
Piss
Kudos on the Red Sox signing Ranger. Double plus to improve an already strong rotation and also to keep him away from Baltimore.
The AL East is going to be a force this year, hopefully.
If the Orioles actually think they’ve done enough for the rotation at best they’ll be 3rd or 4th place. Takes two to tango but they could’ve done a deal like that with Suarez.
Suarez is a great player who always shone brightest in big games. We Phillies fans will miss him. Thanks Ranger and good luck in your future endeavors.
Buehler, Dobbins, Fitts and Houck started almost 1/3 of their games last year. Gio got good but then was injured for the playoffs. They have upgraded the rotation substantially. I would like to see Houck make it back down the road as a reliever. More youth is coming as well. Good moves.
Rich get richer…MLB way.
He sure would’ve looked good toeing the rubber at PNC Park half the year. Sad face emoji.
Holy hell ownership did listen…
Phase 1…check
Phase 2…check
Phase 3 & 4 still in wait
It’s a great signing. This is the guy I wanted them to sign all along.
They really do look set up to trade some young pitching for Perades or Marte.
Maybe just sign Eugenio to play 3B?
The lineup is thin. It’s hard hoping to win every game 3-1 or 4-2.
Now I would like to see them trade a Bello/Tolle/Early for a 2B or 3B. Preferably Bello, but I think you would have to package Bello with one of their OF to get any decent return.
There is no need to trade any of those pitchers. They have Harrison, Crawford and Sandoval to trade.
This team has very good pitching. They need to go into the season with Mayer at 3B and a Combo of Campbell and Hamilton at 2B. Pitching should carry them… then add a bat as needed in June or July.
I like your plan Coop, but I have my doubts about that 2B combo. The staff will win them a lot of games no doubt. I’d feel so much more confident in anyone else other than Campbell/Hammy.
And Mayer needs to stay healthy long enough to show he can stick. Man, if he clicks this year, they’ll be tough to beat.
Right now they are probably planning on Hammy/Romy combo at second. I hate it though when they go against righties. Romy destroys lefties and is much better defensively than KC. KC opens in AAA imo unless he absolutely takes in spring training all his value is his offense.
swanhenge…. If somehow they could unload Yoshida….. I would take a fly on Marcel Ozuna on a 1 year deal and hope he gets his act together after a down year last season…. he hits the crap out of the ball at Fenway…. would be worth a try at DH
That’s one heck of a formidable rotation now the BoSox have, Ranger is highly underrated- I suppose with that deal, not anymore. Good for him! On the flip side, Valdez seems like a headcase, I’d prefer Ranger over him 100/100 times. Was hoping the Rangers would sign him, solely because I’m a weirdo.
Ranger Saurez to the Rangers? Who wouldnt have wanted to see that.
Here is just another fan who thinks the team he roots for should have absolutely beaten this deal. This is a massive get for Boston for a palatable AAV and decent term.
The Tigers had better signed Suarez, since their only left-handed starter will be the most coveted player next year and certainly look out for a team which takes greater efforts to be competitive than Detroit is obviously willing to do. They better trade Skubal soon if they are not willing to spend to improve the team.
Gruß,
BSHH
Framber to Baltimore?
Baltimore or the Mets.
This is a solid pick up for the rotation, but more importantly, it helps the pen also. If this lineup manages to get enough runs to make the playoffs, then this is a formidable playoff staff.
It pushed Bello to 4, where he belongs, and sets us up for having a good top 3, and a better 4 and 5 than most teams.
What makes this signing even better is the trickledown effect. We can use the young guys to bolster the bullpen along with all the guys we keep that just lost starting jobs.
The lineup may look top heavy, thin, and not offer much pop, but the pitching looks stronger then yesterday and can totally avoid having to go out and sign relievers now.
The only fear I have is if this a prelude to trying to improve that weak lineup by trying to trade away that pitching depth and strength he just created.
Head to head:: (Warning, Embarrassing Breslow Fanship)
Cease Age 30 Suarez Age 30
Cease bWAR 1.1 Suarez bWAR 4.7
Cease ERA+ 94!! Suarez ERA+ 151
Cease $ Committed 210 to Age 37 Suarez 130 to Age 35
Absolutely no comparison in these deals. And the Cease one came first, distorting the market that Breslow faced somewhat. Huge win for Breslow and the Sox.
Ones in Canada with deferred $ and strike outs ain’t cheap. Toronto never even looked at his bwar era+ as it’s useless data.
No doubt they had to pay him more to get him to sign to play in Canada so you’re right about that. It’s part of what makes it such a terrible deal. Also deferred $ are still $. Even with deferrals they’re paying more for longer for a lesser pitcher.
At a certain point they had to say ‘no’ and they went far beyond that point with Cease, a #3 starter on a mediocre staff. . This year they’re going to lose out on draft picks and int’l signing money as a consequence.
Doubtful any team in baseball views cease as a #3. Doubtful they see him as a lesser pitcher. He pitches innings and strikes people out. Wasn’t a bargain but not a terrible contract for a team in Toronto.
You are just looking at worthless stats. He has years with 3 4 even a 6 bwar. He pitched very similarly all those years. The only difference is luck and innings pitched. 2021 22 23 24 25 all roughly the same pitcher. Vastly different era. Why teams look at data not stats. They don’t want to know what his era actually was. They want to know what it should have been. What it should be going forward. Not trying to convert you. If Money ball stat cast fangraphs couldn’t get you from using useless stats I certainly can’t. And 99 percent of people think like you. Just telling you like it is. If Toronto was looking at his era era + bwar they obviously wouldn’t have given him that contract right? 94 era+ 1.1 war? So at the very least you have to admit Toronto thinks absolutely nothing of those particular stats. If you value war you wouldn’t give 200 million to a 1 war player. Maybe they are syrup drunk or something though.
excellent breakdown…. I never saw what the big deal was with Cease… dude has good stuff, but is way to inconsistent.
Really going to miss him a Phillies uniform. He was a good Phillie for many reason. Very professional, quiet but strong and always owned his time on the mound win or lose. I’ll root for him as he starts a new chapter.
Suaraz and Crochet, two power lefties at top of rotation. Damn, good signing. Added Gray and the guy from the Pirates… that’s a seriously deep and revamped rotation. Assuming Crochet stays healthy for a 2nd straight year, which was rarely the case when he was with the White Sox. Boston is going to be tough.
I wouldn’t call Suarez a power lefty. At least not in the same sentence as Crochet. But yeah 2 great options. Crochet amazing fantastic elite world class option.
He is not a power arm, but extremely effective. A solid guy and wish the Phils were able to retain him.. Also, he was a fav with his mates..
Unless the Orioles sign Framber and the Yankees make a major splash, the Sox are going to finish in 1st or 2nd in their division this year.
The Jays are the team to beat in the AL, and not just because they won the pennant last fall. They’ve been very aggressive this winter.
Every Pirates fan just had a heart attack
… then saw it was Ranger
I see Sonny Gray mentioned as a #2.
for all intents and purpose Sonny is a bullpen starter
So be ready to bring someone in after watching Sonny for 2 hours, pitch 4 innings.
I would pity Red Sox fans, but I doubt they pitied us when he was driving Yankees fans crazy with his pitching
.
Red Sox definitely not fing around.
This feels a little like the Trevor Story contract – a public relations contract. This money should have gone to Pete Alonso.
A hurt SS from Colorado and a pitcher to a already solid position. Not sure how much that done for pr. Alonso Bregman Tucker Bichette would be a pr move.
To pacify the fans – public relations.
I don’t know where the Pete Alonso love comes from. Their actual new 1B, Willson Contreras, is just about as good (much better defender). And a WHOLE lot cheaper.
Contreras around same level good pr move. Just not hr derby NY 2 high profile free agent trips level star power. Great add though.
B Boston. Very fair price. No opt outs.
Now ship a ML outfielder (Duran) and a close to ML SP (Harrison, Early) to the Astros for Parades, flip flop Mayer and Story in the infield and were good to go.
Send Masa back to “extended” Spring Training and the roster looks tip-top.
Heh. Astros might get Duran for Paredes, and they might get Early. I’d doubt it in the latter case. They’re DEFINITELY not getting both.
I’m for trading duran but not for Parades.
Good signing honestly. Doubling down on run prevention with lots of young bats with upside. Was worried that missing out on Bregman was a panic pivot to Bo who I think will end up getting a stupid amount of $ based on what Bregman got. I think Suarez is a better bang for your buck at $130.
This also makes Bello expandable
Needle has been moving. Up pass 3/4 full. Very nice.
Now going to trade some young pitching to the Cardinals for Donovan?
I don’t think so. Last season the Sox used 15 starters. Depth is a good thing especially when Suarez is not a 32-33 start, 180+ IP kind of SP.
They should use some pitching depth and OF depth to fill an infield bat need. After Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Bello they have Tolle, Early, Oviedo, Harrison, Crawford, and Sandoval battling for one rotation spot. Hockey also enters the mix at some point. Depth is nice but is better served meeting a bigger current need.
Gray didn’t like pitching in NY…and he’s supposed to be fine in Boston?
Gray didn’t like pitching for the Yankees. He will love pitching for the Red Sox. It’s not the city, it’s the organization.
Got it…sounds like a real winning attitude. He’s softer than baby poo and will get shelled in the AL East
It will be interesting to see how Gray does in a hitter ballpark….after all, he’s going to have half or so of his starts dealing with the Pesky poll and the Monster…..
One article I read had Gray saying they the yankee coaches at the time want him to change his style which made him uncomfortable.
But I have to wonder if it’s more ingratiating himself into the fanbase. What better way to instantly get approval from Red Sox fans then say they didn’t like playing for the yankees.
Yankees wanted him to increase his spin rate and ditch a pitch IRRC. Gray was adamantly against it and spoke about it. NY media took off with it.
Love this signing. Suarez won’t take the mound 30+ times, but when he does he will be another #2 level starter behind Crochet. Crochet, Gray, Suarez, Bello, Oviedo is as good as any rotation in baseball and we have some really good depth behind those 5. We may need it.
I wonder if this is an indication of continuing health issues for Sandoval or if the Red Sox just feel Sandoval will still get the 80-90 innings that they had penciled him in for in 2026?
Now, if the Red Sox went all the way and signed Bichette to a 7 year contract, I would then say that Boston could run down and beat the Blue Jays and the Orioles. Some would pick them to win the AL East. Bichette is perfect for their left-handed dominated lineup. The fan base would eat it up and go bonkers. You put Bichette in their current lineup and you can make the argument that they could have the best hitting lineup in baseball collectively. Have you seen the free agent list for next season. This is the last chance for teams to go for it all because the quality of position players drop significantly for at least the next two seasons.
Suarez was the FA arm that caught my eye early in the off season, so I’m happy with it. I didn’t expect it though, especially after the Gray trade.
Defending two time champions still have the best rotation btw.
Oh, yeah of course.
So many comments my computer was malfunctioning.
Congrats RS fans!
That has to mean no Bichette in Boston, right?
I never really thought the Sox were seriously in on Bichette… but I also didn’t see this coming. I figured if we were going to sign someone named Suarez it would have been Eugenio.
If signing Ranger Suarez was plan B or a response to the backlash of losing out on Bregman, then yeah I’d say Boston is unlikely to make a more serious offer for Bichette. But who knows, maybe Henry has suddenly decided to open his wallet.
Saber…I’m all for signing Eugenio Suarez on a 2 yr deal to play 3B & DH. Mayer at 2B or move to 3B when Eugenio needs a breather. Or we do some pitching swap for Donovon to play 2B & Mayer goes to 3B. Harrison, Sandoval, Tolle or Bello are ones I would offer up but not all at once. Or maybe we could circle the wagon around to AZ & offer 2 of them + Duran or Campbell for Marte!?!
Wait a second…the Red Sox gave Bregman one of the most ridiculous AAV contracts I’ve ever seen, but yet you thought they weren’t serious on a better player with more production for the same AAV?
This Philly fan offers congratulations to Red Sox Nation. You got a good one. I understand why he didn’t fit, but I’m sorry to see him go. At least it’s not the Mets.
It would have been a waste of him on the Mess coming from a former Mess fan (after this current offseason). But then Suarez could have gotten a minor injury and collected a huge salary on the Mess for the majority of the contract per usual free agent signings, while the rest of the team continues to choke themselves out of competitive September baseball.
Not for nothing but I wonder where the cost to attend a game will hit the ceiling. A family of 4 with decent seats, modest concessions and parking is a $500 drop.
The money on these contracts are actually getting stupid.
One more time: ticket prices are high because there’s a limited supply and a high demand. Product costs are not a factor because they”re more,than covered already..
Please tell us that you don’t run a business or work in an accounting department……that makes no sense as far as a reply…..”costs are covered already”…..really…
Yeah that doesn’t really make sense, and I know for a fact that the $500 drop for a family of 4 to attend a game is a VERY LOW estimate unless they’re sitting on those wooden benches where somebody is sitting on your designated 10″ wide painted seat number space taking YOUR buttocks splinters! I got an email that said Citi Field was voted the best stadium food in baseball. My foodie buddy was so excited about that he bought the unlimited food tickets behind home plate for like $800 each!! We couldn’t even finish most of what we got because it was cold and disgusting. They pay the staff at these game low wages and the prices are sky high. The amount they make from food alone from a week’s worth of game pays for the majority of the combined staff’s yearly salaries. Yet they expect these staffers are going to put in all this effort into making the best and most expensive fast food in the world. How does that add up?
longines64
A family of 4 with decent seats, modest concessions and parking is a $500 drop.
============================
If money is a concern, you go to a mid-week game against a mediocre team. At Yankee Stadium, there are always decent mid-week games at a reasonable price. And several of my friends bring in a sandwich and soda with them. You can spend $500, but you can do it a lot cheaper.
RH AVG OPS v. LH Pitching was at a 50 year low in 2025. Breslow is loading up on LH starting pitching, dealing his RH pitching…and using international money and draft picks to add more RH hitting. 6 of the 7 top twenty Red Sox prospects hit from the Right side…save Mickey Romero. Checkout Contreras OPS v LH pitching .863 v. Alonso .729…
Why are RH hitters struggling to hit LH pitching? LH pitching that is good, doesn’t hang around in AAA to allow RH hitters to develop? I’d be interested if anyone has an explanation as to why two of the lowest RH OPS v LH in the last 50 years are 2024 and 2025. And the Sox keep adding LH pitchers Crochet, Harrison, Bennet, Suarez, and Sandoval… and have developed Early and Tolle.
Damn he`s making about as much as Bryce Harper now
Worcester is gonna be STACKED with pitching
love the name ranger, for what it’s worth.
It’s still not great. He was considered a big influence on Anthony and Rafaela. There’s a lot of intangibles that have been lost.
That said if Suarez is plan B, I can think of a lot worse. The Sox rotation goes from looking strong to having potential to be one of the best in the league.
Anthony wasn’t good because of any “influence” by Bregman. And Rafela is still swinging at pitches two feet out of the zone. So somehow the Sox managed to win with a guy like Manny Ramirez. He sure had a lot of “intangibles.”
I’d take Suarez on this deal over Cease on his new deal, for whatever that’s worth
I was hoping the Braves would sign him but I’m glad to see him go to the AL
Phan here…Congrats to the Sox. You got one cool guy on the mound.. never gets rattled and is smooth with the glove also..He’s just good..Wish the Phillies could have kept him.. Only so much money to go around..
Modern is good. I like Pepe’s more, but John’s of Bleecker street is the best pie I have ever had. Lucali’s is good but way overhyped. L’industrie has the best slice.
Oviedo will not be Bostons worst starter. I predict he’ll be a 3-4.
Signing Logan Webb for 5/90 was such a steal.
Good signing by the Red Sox, now they need more hitting.
Were they looking to bolster their front end or just happy to see ya
Sox and Yankees loading up on the rotation
Now watch them trade some more of those arms to STL for Donovan. It’s just makes too much sense for Boston to not do it. Unless the Yankees swoop in but idk they could match what the Red Sox would be offering.
Donovan is not a solution. Donovan is just an upgrade over what we currently have without addressing the clear priority need we actually have. There is a clear need for a right-handed thumper to add a threat and lengthen the lineup.
Anything else is settling for plan d through z, and band aid. Remember, to upgrade the lineup that was fairly thin and lacked power from last year we needed to resign Bregman AND add a power bat. We are worse today offensively than the lineup that clearly needed an addition of a at least one more power bat.
How could he do this. Without his signing, Red Sox would have been in a real bad shape next year and that would mean one less team to worry about to win the WS even for him.
There is an opportunity right now to do something that actually addresses the last problems the roster construction faces, and if done will turn this off season into a success. Use the excess of controllable starters, and outfield depth to fill the massive hole at second or third with a right-handed power bat through a trade. Not a guy that can hit a ball perfect around 20 times a year over the wall. The kind of guy that can give you 30+ and doesn’t need to hit it perfect for the ball to leave the yard.
On paper that may seem easy, but it isn’t. There is only a tiny sample existing that fits that description. A known commodity major league starting player representing a clear upgrade that bats righty and has real power. Not many exist, let alone are available.
There are currently zero third baseman in the major leagues that teams would either trade, or the Red Sox would take on their contracts. Next.
Second base. Marte, that’s it. Marte is exactly that description. Semien used to be the other option here, but no longer. Torres? Meh.
Short stop that would move to third or second. Again, contracts we wouldn’t take, and teams wouldn’t trade away anyway, unless they were blown away by the return. Seager, Correa, unlikely. The player has to ok the move, the team has to be willing to offer them, the Red Sox have to be willing to take on the contract, etc. Nope.
So, the real question is, what package do the Red Sox have to put together to make the Diamondbacks willing to reexamine making Marte available? Bear in mind, the Diamondbacks are very well aware of everything I just wrote above and have every bit of leverage.
AZ is not trading Marte for anything short of a king’s ransom.
Agreed.
Red Sox fans: you’re gonna love this guy. We will dearly miss him in Philly. As was often said, ice runs through his veins. Nothing rattles him. Aside from the injuries, there is everything to love.
I appreciate your remarks.
“Red Sox to Sign Ranger Suarez?” Time for retaliation in kind. “Texas to Sign Boston O’Malley”
They got him for the postseason. Now they have to get there. He will not pitch more than 150 innings, maybe start 25 games. But it fits what I think is a six man starting staff. Five man rotation but allowances for rest periods due to fatigue and/or injury. If you can get 25 starts out of six guys that allows them all to be on board for the postseason as long as they’re healthy. You need some multiple inning relievers like Whitlock as well to pace the bullpen through the season. 50 to 60 games for your top 5 one inning guys. This can work extremely well as long as you manage your losses. Don’t let the important pitchers out there unless you’re going to win the game. If you lose 60 games you had a great season. Who you use in those 60 games matters a lot.
Sneaky GREAT move
Nice move. AL East is gonna be tough
obviously, this team is comfortable spending money. I eat crow and take back wh
at I said about they are being cheap.
It was never about spending with most fans. It was the quality of that spending. If you spend your money on quality upgrades people don’t tend to mind too much. The issue is that we would see elite talent go elsewhere year after year and we would take the same money and get lower tier guys coming off injuries or bad years.
If you have a need for a quality pitcher and instead you sign two or three injured or rehabilitation projects instead for the same amount of money, that is an organizational approach. The Yankees and Dodgers will usually opt for the quality. We would spend at cap level for an inferior collection of players. That was always the issue.
Now, just need them to stay healthy.. mirror 2004 heck even 2007 where they got over 150 plus starts from just 5 guys…. Seems to be key to success…
Nice pitching rotation for the Red Sox. The team looks stronger than last year. Full season of Roman Anthony, much better first baseman, Trevor Story is the key. Knock on wood the outfield is great… third and second baseman are the question marks
Sox trying to win every game 2-1
I like the pickup but Im concerned about his declining velocity. I think I’d use that depth to protect him and see if the velocity bounces back. That means he’d be a healthy scratch on occasion. At least for this year, just to see if overuse is the reason for the decline in velocity. We are deep now and have the staff to experiment like that.
His game is more about control and deception. Look at his metrics from last year and see how he uses the fastball more like a changeup. The control prevents walks and the deception creates ground balls. He’s not going to overpower anyone with his FB. Closer it looks like the rest of the pitches the better. I hope his conditioning is up so he can go longer into outings. That’s my only concern. Well that and hoping our defense is elite enough to take advantage of all the ground balls
Tucker to the Mets! 5 years 50MAAV with 2 opt outs… done deal!
Nailed it!
I keep hearing his name, but I don’t see how Brendan Donovan fills the Sox’ offensive needs. What am I missing on him?
You aren’t, he doesn’t.
I’ll miss Ranger. His back and endurance are issues but the Phil’s are worse without him. If they somehow sneak into the playoffs this year his steady demeanor will be sorely missed.
Good luck Ranger….and take good care of our man up there Beantown…
How about calling SD and trading either Duran or Abreu, Yoshida with cash, Tolle, Bello and Any of Sogard, Hamilton, Eaton, Romero for Fernando Tatis Jr.?
Also explore Peralta or Skubal Trades before adding an infielder.
Also forgot Campbell as a trade chip for Tatis
I don’t recall the Red Sox front office being this aggressive, only the Red Sox fans….
What a cool name. I wish my name was Ranger. Prolly pull more chicks than I already do. LOL.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery
This contract breakdown is awful news. It’s exactly the opposite of what the big market teams want to do and an indication the Red Sox are maxed out on salary.
I agree with you, but it’s a sad reality. The Athletic just had a piece which said “wow, the Sox have their highest every payroll by luxury tax calculation!”. But meanwhile, the actual cash salaries are no where close to their maximum.
I didn’t see anything about a NTC, so combine that with the back loaded contract and the fact that Suarez has never started 30 games in a season and I believe that he’ll be traded in 3 or 4 years.
What do you mean by ‘actual cash salaries’?
Guaranteed Salaries: $247.5M
add in Pre-Abr contracts: $4.1M
What year did Red Sox have higher salaries?
spotrac.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/yearly/_/sort/cash_…
If they trade him down the line they would receive a credit toward the CBA calculation… So that’s something.
Red Sox have been clear they won’t give NTCs, so that’s no surprise. If they give one, then every player they negotiate with will want a NTC, which seems to scare them.
Back-loaded? That’s the opposite of what they should have done. Red Sox are at least a year or two from being serious contenders again. They should have front-loaded the deal so that they’d have him cheap when we (hopefully) are back to serious contention.
The Red Sox have several large, useless contracts (Hicks, Story, Yoshida) coming off the books hopefully in the next few years. So that might explain why it’s back loaded
The Red Sox are well set to dip back under the tax in two years in order to reset the penalties. Hick, Yoshida, Story, Gray, Contreras, Chapman, Sandoval and Houck total just over 140mil in AAV (Story and Contreras have options). Some may need to be replaced with free agents, but most could theoretically be replaced with internal options.
Not sure how Story is a ‘useless large contract’. He was worth 3 fWAR last season and is slated to start at SS and bat in the top-6 spots this season.
When the sun goes down and he’s pitching, he becomes a night ranger
And when he’s sitting during the half innings he’s the Lone Ranger.
Good move, Boston. I was at the Red Sox v Mets series last year. At the time the Amazin’ Mess was flying high and the Sox looked like they were going to have a down year. Thanks to the Mess, that series flipped both teams’ seasons, and this is a nice addition for a David contender against the Goliath Yankees.
BTW I was the Mess fan behind home plate at that series who yelled “PETE NEVER LEFT” when some other fans were saying, “Don’t leave us Pete!” Pete acknowledged me with a shake of his head and said very clearly “NOPE.” THEN PETE LEFT US!!!
I don’t blame Pete though.
BOOOOOO STEARNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!