‘Tis the season to be thankful, and one of the biggest reasons to be thankful for the Boston Red Sox this year is their newfound starting rotation depth.
Boston is sitting in an ideal spot with their core starting pitchers. Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford return to the Sox after steady 2024 seasons when they each made 30 or more starts.
Houck had arguably the best season of his career with a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 154 strikeouts in 178.2 innings. He also recorded his first complete game and stayed healthy until the end. Bello and Crawford stayed true to themselves as mid-tier pitchers.
Lucas Giolito will also bolster the Red Sox’s strong starting pitcher foundation. Returning from the UCL brace procedure in the spring, Giolito looks to pitch like his White Sox self. As the No. 1 starter in Chicago, he had an All-Star Game appearance and three straight years of Cy Young Award consideration. With a few rough years in the mix, Giolito ended his career in the Windy City with a 4.20 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. He will be a welcome addition to Boston’s rotation in 2025.
The Red Sox's 2025 rotation will boast talent, depth and flexibility
Bringing up the rear of the rotation are Garrett Whitlock and Cooper Criswell, who double as long relievers. Whitlock pitched out of Boston's bullpen in 2021 before he was promoted to the starting rotation at the beginning of 2022. The Sox may decide to start him in the bullpen next year after he missed most of this season due to UCL surgery.
Criswell served as a fifth starter and durable reliever. His endurance and flexibility add even more depth to an already deep rotation. He's also eligible for another year of minor-league options, which affords Boston even more 40-man roster pliability.
Minor leaguers Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, and Hunter Dobbins provide an additional safety net and round out the rotation. Optimism is high for Fitts this year, who held an impressive 1.74 ERA with only four earned runs in 20.2 innings for his first year in the majors. Priester only made one appearance for the Sox after being traded from Pittsburgh, but his first save with Boston leaves plenty of anticipation for future innings. While Dobbins hasn’t debuted yet, his stats from playing in Portland and Worcester foreshadow his potential to substitute for Whitlock and Criswell as needed.
If the Sox sign an ace or two this offseason, as many fans and reporters expect, their rotation may be one of the best in the league.