After Red Sox Bolster Rotation With Ranger Suarez, What Will It Mean For The Team?

The Red Sox have made a major move to bolster their starting rotation.

2024 All-Star Ranger Suarez signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Red Sox. 

Suarez pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2018 to 2025. He started out as a reliever. In 2021, he made 12 starts. In 2022, he was made a full-time starter. Although there were ups and downs at first, by 2024, he was a good starting pitcher, which led to an All-Star appearance. In 2025, he was even better with a 3.20 ERA, but didn’t notch the All-Star nod.

The Red Sox already had Garrett Crochet, who finished second in AL Cy Young award voting. However, they wanted to improve the depth around him. Earlier this offseason, they traded for Johan Oviedo from the Pirates and Sonny Gray from the Cardinals. Gray is a three-time All-Star, most recently with the Twins in 2023.

Suarez is a big loss for the Phillies. They still have a couple of star pitchers in Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez. However, the depth outside of those guys is questionable. Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker have had good seasons in the past, but it’s been years since they pitched at that level. They also have top prospect Andrew Painter. Painter will be 23 years old in the 2026 season, so it’s hard to rely on him as more than a fifth starter.

Although the Red Sox’s pitching has gotten better, the same can’t be said for their hitting. They recently let Alex Bregman walk to the Cubs, which will leave a huge hole at both ends at third base.

Meanwhile, the Phillies already achieved their biggest goal of keeping Kyle Schwarber. Now they will need to focus on finding pitching depth and extending J.T. Realmuto or finding a replacement.