Boston, MA – The Boston Red Sox, who faced difficulties last season in securing five reliable starting pitchers, are exploring the possibility of implementing a six-man rotation for the upcoming 2025 season.

Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow shared on Monday that discussions about this new strategy have taken place, particularly following the acquisition of Garrett Crochet and the signings of free agents Patrick Sandoval and Walker Buehler. Breslow emphasized the importance of having ample starting pitching depth, stating, “We have had some conversations. We’re very, very open to a number of solutions… we know we’re going to call on more than just five guys.” He also highlighted that the early-season schedule might be conducive to utilizing a sixth starter.

Last season, the Red Sox entered the campaign short on two potential ace pitchers. Just before the season began, they traded away Chris Sale, who eventually won the NL Cy Young Award, while Lucas Giolito unfortunately suffered an elbow injury during spring training, which sidelined him for the entire season. Although the team was contending close to the All-Star break, their pitching resources became depleted in the latter half of the season, which adversely affected the bullpen and contributed to the team’s failure to secure a playoff spot for the third consecutive year.

In an effort to strengthen their rotation, Breslow has significantly enhanced their pitching roster over the winter. The Red Sox recently traded four prospects to the Chicago White Sox for Crochet, a promising hard-throwing left-handed pitcher who posted a record of 6-12 and a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for a struggling Chicago team.

Additionally, the Red Sox have added Buehler, a two-time All-Star who was pivotal in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series victory, and Sandoval, who is recovering from elbow surgery. Breslow expressed optimism about the potential of their rotation, saying, “I think it gave us a chance to take a really good rotation and potentially catapult it into an elite level.”

Though Buehler had a challenging 2024 regular season, going 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA after recovering from Tommy John surgery, he showed resilience in the postseason, recording a 1-1 record and a 3.60 ERA. He notably secured a save against the New York Yankees, striking out two batters to maintain a narrow lead in Game 5 of the series.

Sandoval, after a 2-8 record and a 5.08 ERA performance with the Los Angeles Angels, suffered a UCL tear in June while pitching to Shohei Ohtani. Breslow remains positive about Sandoval’s potential contributions in the second half of the upcoming season.

The latest additions to the roster will join a group that already includes players like Giolito, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Whitlock. Breslow feels confident, stating, “We feel like we’ve got not just five or six starters, but eight or 10.”

Looking ahead, Breslow intends to balance Boston’s lineup and work on bolstering the bullpen. He also affirmed that the young first baseman Triston Casas, who had a .241 batting average with 13 home runs and 32 RBIs, is not on the trading block. “We’re not shopping Triston,” Breslow said. “We’re really excited for him to be completely healthy.” While trading Casas could facilitate moving Rafael Devers to first base, Breslow reiterated, “Raffy is our third baseman… as things stand right now, Raffy’s our third baseman.”