Where ESPN Ranks Revamped Red Sox Starting Rotation
Craig Breslow addressed the much-needed improvements to the Red Sox’s pitching staff when he traded for Garrett Crochet and signed Walker Buehler.
Crochet and Buehler join Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford to round out the five man rotation, but Breslow hinted at the Red Sox using a six-man rotation when he spoke with reporters on Monday.
If Boston’s revamped starting rotation pitches to its ceiling, it should be the team’s biggest strength entering the 2025 MLB season. But where does it rank among other big league ball clubs?
In a report published by ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle on Thursday, the Red Sox rotation falls just shy of landing in the Top 10 out of the 30 teams in the league.
Doolittle used a ranking system that combined a methodology of consensus projections, rotation depth and traits that included star power, number of innings and strikeout percentage minus walk percentages, among others. He wrote that teams ranking 110 or better are elite, and any rating under 100 is considered b.elow average.
According to Doolittle’s methodology, the Red Sox’s rotation index is a 101.2, but feels Boston might be “able to crack” the Top 10.
“The big thing the Boston rotation lacks is an ace, but of course, the Red Sox might have already accounted for that with the trade for Garrett Crochet,” Doolittle wrote. “The only thing holding back Crochet from a projection standpoint is his lack of a track record for putting up big innings totals. He’ll likely get a chance to change that in 2025, and if he succeeds, Boston will have its No. 1.”
The Red Sox rotation is built largely around perceived talent and potential in 2025, but Boston is certainly in a better position to begin the season than it has in previous campaigns.
Doolittle’s Top 10 rotations in order are the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.
Where do you think the Red Sox’s rotation stacks up against the rest? Sound off in the comments below.