Since the moment Tanner Houck flamed out at the beginning of the 2025 season, there's been one painfully obvious need for the Boston Red Sox to fill on their roster: a No. 2 starting pitcher.
Brayan Bello was asked to hold down that spot behind Garrett Crochet for most of this past season, and while he performed admirably (3.35 ERA, 4.19 FIP), he was punching above his weight. Lucas Giolito was the other "frontline" starter in Boston, though his promising results were the result of a lot of smoke and mirrors.
The team ultimately decided not to hand Giolito a qualifying offer after he injured his elbow at the end of ther regular season, effectively ending his tenure in Beantown. That made finding a top-tier starter all the more important, and boy did the front office deliver by trading for St. Louis Cardinals ace Sonny Gray.
Gray, 36, has long been an advanced metrics darling, a stark contrast to Giolito's hope-and-a-prayer approach last season. With the Cardinals covering nearly half of the $41 million owed on his contract, it's clear the Red Sox have made a shrewd upgrade at a reasonable price.
Sonny Gray is a clear upgrade over Lucas Giolito while preserving Red Sox's flexibility
Gray is no longer the pitcher who led all of baseball in FIP (2.83) in 2023, but he remains one of the most consistent starters in the league. He's pitched more than 165 innings in each of the past three seasons, and his xERA and FIP have both been below 4.00 in every single campaign since 2019. Despite a 4.28 ERA in 2025, he ranked in the 93rd percentile in walk rate, the 81st percentile in whiff rate, and the 79th percentile in strikeout rate.
For one year and $21 million — less than the $22.05 million qualifying offer the Red Sox refused to give Giolito — the team now has a playoff-tested veteran to pair with Crochet for a reasonable cost.
And no matter what your thoughts about Gray are, the real beauty of this trade is that it shouldn't preclude the Red Sox from adding another frontline starting pitcher to the mix. Brandon Clarke was an expendable asset among a loaded group of pitching prospects, and $20 million over one year shouldn't break the bank enough to prevent a Dylan Cease or Michael King pursuit in free agency.
Whether they want to pursue a Freddy Peralta blockbuster or a nine-figure contract with Framber Valdez, the Red Sox continue to have the flexibility in all areas to slot another starter into Alex Cora's top four.
Gray alone should make the pitching staff better in 2026. With another addition, the Red Sox could possess one of the best rotations in baseball.