All of the Boston Red Sox's offseason pitching additions quickly sparked speculation — from reporters and fans — about the possibility of a six-man rotation.
Boston traded for Garrett Crochet and signed Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval, who the team hopes will be healthy for the second half of the season, to give it its deepest rotation in a while. Nothing is set in stone yet, but Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito are also in the mix for rotation spots. Kutter Crawford is battling knee soreness and his status for Opening Day is in question, but if he was going to be ready, he'd likely be in the conversation as well.
Crawford's health could be one of the main reasons Boston will avoid a six-man rotation. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe that, for now, a six-man is out of the question.
“[The six-man rotation] is a conversation for when everyone is healthy,” Cora said. “It’s a tough schedule early on. You cannot protect everyone. We’ve got some guys in the bullpen that we need to protect, too. I think versatility and multi-inning relievers will benefit this team probably better than the six-man rotation.”
Alex Cora shoots down prospect of Red Sox using five-man rotation
Not only did Cora suggest that the Red Sox aren't currently equipped for a six-man rotation, but he previously told Chris Cotillo of MassLive that the team never discussed using one.
“We haven’t talked about a six-man (rotation),” Cora said. “You guys have talked about it. If we go that route, it’s for a reason. For right now, we’re taking the best five and using the bullpen the right way knowing we play five in a row, then an off day, then (15) in a row.”
A six-man rotation sounds like a great idea — more rest is almost always better — but many players don't agree. Pitchers in a six-man rotation will have thrown fewer innings at the end of the season, which could potentially diminish their earning potential if they're impending free agents. Most pitchers also spend their years in the minor leagues conditioning for a five-man rotation, and a sudden, possibly one-year change could throw them out of their routine and off their game.
The Red Sox also have plenty of starting pitching depth to account for injuries or extra rest needed, and some former starters have moved to the bullpen. If Crawford doesn't join the rotation when healthy, he could serve as a long reliever or depth starter, and Garrett Whitlock could do the same. Cooper Criswell, Quinn Priester, Richard Fitts, and potentially Michael Fulmer could make spot starts if the Sox need them, as the first three showed they could do well last season.
Now that we're certain the Red Sox will start the season with a five-man rotation, Crochet, Houck, Bello, Buehler and Giolito seem like the likeliest choices, not in that exact order. Giolito and Bello still haven't appeared in spring training games, but their respective recoveries are on track to be complete by Opening Day.