Standing in behind Garrett Crochet, the 2026 Boston Red Sox are hypothetically poised to run out Dylan Cease, MacKenzie Gore, Brayan Bello, and Connelly Early. At least, that was the expected look of Boston’s rotation according to Bleacher Report’s first take at predicting each team’s starters come spring.
Cease signed with Toronto less than a week after the list dropped, and with the addition of Sonny Gray to Boston’s rotation, one of those roster slots has been rendered incorrect.
Yet, the other new addition to that list is a particularly interesting one that is sure to get Red Sox fans hyped about next season. Gore was a player often named in rumors leading up to the trade deadline. Gore ranks highly across a range of advanced metrics like whiff %, K rate, and chase %. His breaking ball run value is in the 79th percentile, with a solid curveball leading the way, and his extension is rated at 86th by Baseball Savant.
On another note, in our own dream starting rotation, we preferred Zac Gallen over Cease because of his larger innings figures that might take some extra pressure off the bullpen. To be fair, Cease felt like something of a long shot signing given his price tag. Putting pen to paper with the Blue Jays, Cease is now a $210 million commitment running through his age 37 season (and making him the 7th highest paid starting pitcher in the league in terms of AAV). That’s seemingly a lot to ask of a Boston leadership group that’s felt very timid in the financial department as of late.
Adding Gore could round out a fantastic starting rotation, with some caveats
Gore could act as another stable piece of a very well-rounded starting rotation, but it leaves some question marks to answer. In 2025, Brayan Bello was called upon to play No. 2 behind Crochet. He didn’t always live up to this challenge, however.
Gray and Gore are also players who don’t fit the one-two punch mold that Craig Breslow has been vocal about seeking to create. Both are great players, and Gray is an advanced metrics darling who is a better pitcher than his stats suggest. A rotation looking largely like the prediction from Bleacher Report would certainly create a fearsome rotation that other teams would have to constantly take seriously.
But, failing to sign a true Robin to Crochet’s Batman, after all that talk about that task as a key offseason priority absolutely signals movement in the wrong direction, even with Gray’s move confirmed and a hypothetical trade for Gore. It’s a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t inspire confidence that the organization is serious about competing. Especially given the success of Toronto in 2025 and the team’s addition of Cease, one of the best available pitchers this winter, moves like this might seem closer to treading water than aggressively improving.
On the other hand, if this is the final format of 2026’s starting rotation, and Boston improves offensively — adding at least one potent righty bat, such as Bo Bichette or Ketel Marte, and resigning Bregman or at least rolling out a realistic plan to replace him — then the team will own both a solid rotation from start to finish and a powerful offense ready to do damage behind their man on the mound.