Inside the pivot that led the Red Sox to double down on pitching, add Ranger Suárez

Two Saturdays ago, hours after thousands of fans had filtered out Fenway Park following the team’s Fenway Fest winter meet-and-greet with the 2026 team, Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs. It marked a late-night gut-punch for the Boston Red Sox, who’d felt they’d made an aggressive offer to the unquestioned leader of their 2025 club. But despite the frustration of missing out on Bregman, there was little time to waste. By Sunday morning, during the team’s yearly organization-wide meetings, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his front office had decided their next move: Doubling down on pitching – specifically free-agent starter Ranger Suárez. Suárez had been a Boston target since November when the club had a Zoom call with his agent, Scott Boras. Despite an ebb and flow of conversation over the next three months, Boras described a “strong attraction” and a “thorough pursuit” of Suárez. Boras, who is also Bregman’s agent, had spent significant time with the Red Sox in negotiations and had an intimate understanding of Boston’s offseason plans, specifically that it planned to spend; if not on Bregman, then someone else. When Bregman opted for Chicago and the Red Sox turned their attention to bolstering their pitching staff, Boras was ready. “The groundwork was done,” Boras said on Wednesday, as Suárez was introduced at snowy Fenway Park. “It was very clear throughout our conversations that the idea of Ranger and the Red Sox were always a topic. I myself did not view one or the other (Bregman vs. Suárez). I viewed it as though they were adding pitching and trying to improve their team in a number of ways. So I really felt that as much work and as many conversations had been done, it was always part of the plan to include Ranger.” At the outset of the offseason, Breslow labeled his priorities as adding a No. 2 starter to slot behind Garrett Crochet, as well as adding a power bat to the lineup. When the club traded for veteran Sonny Gray in November, he didn’t quite fit the No. 2 mold, but he offered an upgrade for the rotation nonetheless. The Red Sox remained interested in Suárez, but shifted their focus to the lineup. As the Bregman talks dragged on throughout the winter, Boston saw an opportunity to make a second trade with St. Louis for first baseman Willson Contreras. He offered a veteran bat with power potential and an upgrade at first base, but reuniting with Bregman remained on the forefront. Having also added starter Johan Oviedo in December, further bolstering the pitching staff beyond Crochet, Gray, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Kyle Harrison, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle seemed like overkill. But throughout the winter, some within the organization continued to float the idea of adding even more pitching, likely with Suárez in mind. As negotiations with Bregman reached an apex in early January, the Red Sox were insistent on not including a no-trade clause for Bregman in their offer, something Bregman stood firm on as part of any deal. The Red Sox, perhaps, overestimated Bregman’s desire to return to Boston. That ultimately led to Bregman signing with the Cubs the night of Fenway Fest, reigniting the Suárez talks the next day. By Tuesday, the framework of a five-year, $130 million deal – the longest free-agent deal in Breslow’s tenure in Boston – was taking shape with details hashed out on Wednesday and a deal in place. The negotiations were helped by the fact that Suárez, who signed with Philadelphia for $25,000 as a teenager in Venezuela, grew up a Red Sox fan, idolizing Pedro Martínez. “When you come here to Fenway Park,” Suárez said through interpreter Daveson Perez, “you have the chance to pitch on the same mound that Pedro Martínez, Roger Clemens (and) Babe Ruth threw off of. You get that energy from that experience. And it’s just something that motivates you to want to give your little grain of sand into what is a bigger history.” According to a league source, Suarez’s deal gives him $7 million in 2026, $15 million in 2027, $30 million in 2028 and 2029 and $35 million in 2030 with a $35 million mutual option and a $10 million buyout. He also received a $3 million signing bonus. By doubling – or perhaps tripling – down on pitching, the Red Sox, according to FanGraphs, have the best projected rotation in baseball. Boston’s 18.3 fWAR tops even the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 17.1 figure. “I don’t think there’s a question anymore that the identity of our team, the strength of our team, is going to be our pitching and our ability to prevent runs,” Breslow said. “So when one opportunity was closed off, I wouldn’t say that there was a strong pivot insomuch as there was an opportunity to reassess the opportunities in front of us and remain anchored to that commitment to improve our team.” The addition of Suárez undoubtedly strengthens the staff, but Breslow acknowledged the possibility of trading from a deep pitching group to add more offense. A team source suggested trading from the outfield group as well, but Breslow publicly remains committed to the idea of their outfield depth. He also recognized the club’s pitching depth could help with injury prevention. Last season, the Red Sox used 15 different pitchers to start games. Suárez has never made 30 starts in a season, and Breslow said the pitching group has discussed the possibility of using a six-man rotation at points this season. That could help pitchers like Sandoval and Crawford, both of which are returning from injuries. Breslow said the two are currently throwing, and, as of now, in line to start camp with the rest of the staff. By prioritizing strong pitching and the run prevention it brings, the Red Sox must also focus on their infield defense. The addition of Contreras, who was among the league’s best first baseman last year with 6 Outs Above Average, will help. Another healthy year of Trevor Story at shortstop figures to strengthen the group even with a dip in defense late in last year. A full season for Marcelo Mayer, who Breslow said “will play a very important role for us”, figures to bolster the defense too. Though Breslow wouldn’t commit to Mayer at second or third base, a source with the team recently noted a preference for Mayer at third. After Bregman’s injury last season, Mayer played well at the position, but there’s also an idea of keeping him on the same side of the field as his natural shortstop position. He’s likely the heir to the shortstop spot after Story’s contract is up following the 2027 season. With that in mind, it appears the Red Sox are seeking a strong defensive second baseman. “It’s really important that we improve our defense, particularly our infield defense,” Breslow said. “Any additions that we may make, we’ll be very mindful of the defensive skillset.” That would seem to rule out Houston’s Isaac Paredes, who has struggled defensively at third base. And while the Cubs have said they plan to hold onto Nico Hoerner, he would be the perfect fit as one of the best second basemen in the league with a solid bat even if he is a free agent at the end of the season. The Cubs, according to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma, would be seeking a big league pitcher with upside in addition to a top prospect, a steep, but perhaps necessary return for a Red Sox team vying to contend in 2026. Earlier on Wednesday, the Red Sox did make one minor trade to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Suárez. They sent infielder Tristan Gray, whom they’d acquired from Tampa Bay in November, to Minnesota for minor league catcher Nate Baez. With 19 days left before pitchers and catchers report, another move is not out of the question.