Position breakdown of how Red Sox stack up against AL East competition
By Daniel Fox
Red Sox starting rotation vs the AL East
- Blue Jays (20)
- Yankees (15)
- Red Sox (10)
- Rays (5)
- Orioles (1)
It seems almost unfair that a team with a lineup as strong as the Blue Jays can also have a stacked rotation, but that is precisely the case. Though they lost reigning Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, they replaced him with another top-line starter in Kevin Gausman. They also locked up number two starter Jose Berrios, whom they acquired at the trade deadline and pitched well down the stretch. Former Cy Young winner Hyun-Jun Ryu fell off considerably from 2020 but is still a solid mid-rotation starter. While Ryu may be on the decline, number four starter Alex Manoah is a prime breakout candidate after posting a 3.22 over 20 starts in his rookie campaign. Ross Stripling fills out the rotation as a solid-if-unspectacular fifth starter.
The Yankees might have the best overall starting pitcher in the division in Gerrit Cole, but the rest of the rotation is filled with question marks. Number two starter Jordan Montgomery was solid in 2021, but he is just one year removed from having an ERA over 5.00 and two years removed from Tommy John surgery. Number three starter Luis Severino has made just three starts in the last three years, while number four starter Jameson Taillon has just two seasons with over 25 starts. Nestor Cortes caught attention with his 2.90 ERA, but even he has just 16 career starts.
Like the Yankees, the Red Sox have tons of questions in their starting rotation. Unlike the Yankees, those questions start at the top with Chris Sale, who missed two full years with arm injuries. Sale returned in August and showed flashes of his old self, but at 33, his health is a huge question mark. All-Star Nathan Eovaldi seems like a safe bet to give the Red Sox quality innings, as does Nick Pivetta, who made 30 capable starts in 2021. But beyond those two, the Red Sox are relying on unproven Tanner Houck, 42-year-old Rich Hill, and the inconsistent Michael Wacha. It’s good the Red Sox added depth this winter because it’s likely they’re going to need it.
The Rays starting rotation was a major reason they got upset by the Red Sox in the ALDS, and they did little to address that need this offseason. Corey Kluber has been their biggest acquisition thus far, but when you’re relying on a 36-year-old who has pitched just 112 innings in the last three years, you’re in trouble. All the Rays can hope for is that unproven youngsters Shane Baz, Shane Mclanahan, and Luis Patino pitch beyond their years and that the electric Tyler Glasnow can provide a boost in his midseason return.
Though other rotations in this division might have some questions marks, none are quite the dumpster fire that the Orioles are. Ace John Means may be an All-Star-caliber starter, but the rest of the rotation is a mess. None of the other four starters had an ERA under five last season, while Zac Lowther and Keegan Akin each had totals well over six. The Orioles are going to allow a lot of runs this year, and they will need to move the fences back a lot more than 10 feet if they want to have even an average rotation.