There were a number of key reasons behind the Boston Red Sox and their appearance in the American League playoffs last season. Those reasons included the health of shortstop Trevor Story and his ability to produce key hits while playing solid defense throughout the majority of the season, the leadership of third baseman Alex Bregman and the dominance of closer Aroldis Chapman. However, the primary reason was the brilliance of No. 1 starter Garrett Crochet.
Manager Alex Bregman knew that when he gave the ball to Crochet the big left-handed pitcher would give him a Cy Young-worthy performance. He had a remarkable 18-5 record with a 2.59 earned run average and a major-league leading 255 strikeouts in 205.1 innings. He is competing with Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers for the 2025 Cy Young Award.
The Red Sox got decent performances out of Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito following Crochet throughout most of the season, but neither was dependable down the stretch. Injuries ruined the season of Tanner Houck and Hunter Dobbins, and that leaves the team with key questions concerning their pitching staff after Crochet.
The addition of starting pitcher Framber Valdez would give the Red Sox an excellent 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. Valdez has been one of the key performers for the Houston Astros during their long run of excellence in the American League West. He is coming off another solid season. The 31-year-old was 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 192.0 innings.
While he was fairly good last year, his consistency over the five seasons is what stands out. He has had double-figures in his victory totals in each of those years, with his best season coming in 2022 when he was 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA. He had 3 complete games that season and he led the American League with 201.1 innings pitched.
Red Sox have hopes for youngsters, but need another dependable arm
If the Red Sox are going to make a run at the American League East title and bypass the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays and the arch-rival New York Yankees, they need to have dependable starting pitching. The Red Sox certainly hope that Bello can take another step up the ladder in 2026 and maintain his performance throughout the full season.
The Red Sox did not give Giolito a qualifying offer as he enters free agency. The initial conclusion is that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow does not care if Giolito signs elsewhere.
The Red Sox promoted youngsters Payton Tolle and Connelly Early late in the season and both left-handers demonstrated plenty of promise during their appearances with the varsity. Both pitchers figure prominently in the long-term plans of the Red Sox, but that does not necessarily mean that they will pitch consistently in 2026. Early appeared to have more poise than the hard-throwing Tolle, but neither one can be stamped as dependable in 2026.
Adding a quality starter like Valdez would make a statement for the Red Sox. They are serious about returning to prominence and adding to the four World Series titles they have earned since 2004.
Opening the purse strings is a must for the Red Sox
Signing a quality pitcher like Valdez takes a commitment by Red Sox ownership and management. They showed some willingness to do just that last offseason when they signed Bregman before the start of spring training, but that came after several years in which they did not get involved with signing top free agents.
Owner John Henry appeared to give in to public pressure after criticism of the team's ownership grew to a crescendo. Those insults will undoubtedly return if the Red Sox don't sign additional key free agents this year.
Free-agent contracts for pitchers over 30 years of age are tricky, but the Red Sox must make a solid offer for Valdez. It would take at least five years to gain consideration. That means the Red Sox should go to six years if they want their offer to stand out. An average annual payout of $29 million should suffice to get the pitcher to put his signature on the contract.
The Red Sox need to make Valdez a six-year, $174 million offer to bring him into the fold and make the team championship worthy at the top of their starting rotation.
