The Boston Red Sox on November 18 made a flurry of roster moves to trade some veteran arms and protect younger ones. The changes showed the extent of Boston's confidence in its latest crop of top pitching prospects.
Boston designated Josh Winckowski for assignment, traded Luis Guerrero to the Tampa Bay Rays, Chris Murphy to the Chicago White Sox, Brennan Bernardino to the Colorado Rockies, and pitching prospect Alex Hoppe to the Seattle Mariners.
The moves cleared up spots on the 40-man roster for pitching prospects David Sandlin, Tyler Uberstine, and Shane Drohan to protect them from the December Rule 5 Draft. They also gave the Red Sox some flexibility in the near future.
However, the confidence this showed in the young arms of the system should be a big story. The Red Sox will likely be adding a top-of-the-rotation arm. You’d be smart to expect a few bullpen arms added as well.
Red Sox give vote of confidence to young pitchers with recent moves
Boston is clearly comfortable with some of the pitchers who contributed (or flirted with contributing) in 2025. They have an abundance of them, too. Payton Tolle, Hunter Dobbins, and Connelly Early all made their major league debuts last season. Kyle Harrison, Richard Fitts, and Justin Slaten are all relatively new to the big show as well.
Then you dip down to the minor leagues and see Sandlin, Uberstine, and Drohan knocking on the door, along with Luis Perales. They could all make their debuts in 2026. If you really want to get nuts, 2025 draft picks Kyson Witherspoon, Marcus Phillips, and Anthony Eyanson could all make a late-season push.
The Red Sox have options, and those options have options. It’s a big positive to be able to cycle through a few arms to keep everyone fresh. It’s a method that the Los Angeles Dodgers have used to perfection recently.
If Boston does add some big-name veterans, it could use the final bullpen spot, and even the final rotation spot, as somewhat of a revolving door — Tolle, Dobbins, Early, Harrison, and Sandlin could all shuffle between that fifth spot. Maybe healthy versions of Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford get into the mix. Fitts, Uberstine, and Drohan could all be used out of the bullpen or the rotation.
The moves on Tuesday gave the Red Sox flexibility, and they have the talent to put that flexibility to good use. It was a surprise to see that much movement from the Red Sox on Tuesday. However, seeing them clear a path for some of the most exciting arms in the system has to be a positive development for a lot of fans.