Joey Motroni
Just days after losing 3B Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs on a 5-year $175M deal, Craig Breslow and Red Sox brass make their first free agency signing of the offseason. Boston was the final MLB team to make a free agency signing this offseason, inking former Philadelphia Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez to a 5-year $130M deal on Wednesday afternoon.
The addition of Suarez adds depth to an already strong rotation that has Garrett Crochet as the ace, after Boston acquired the big lefty at the Winter Meetings last offseason. The Sox rotation also includes strong arms such as Bryan Bello and Sonny Gray, who the Sox acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for RHP Richard Fitts and minor league pitching prospects, including LHP Brandon Clarke.
Boston also has younger arms, such as Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, who were mid-season call-ups for the Red Sox last season. Also included in this surplus of arms are guys like Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck, who have contributed to Boston’s success in the past but will be working back from injury. It will be interesting to see if any of these extra arms could be on the move in the near future in a trade that could see the Red Sox get an infielder after losing out on Alex Bregman.
Diving into Ranger Suarez’s last season with Philadelphia, he finished the regular season with a record of 12-8 over 26 starts with a 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 151 strikeouts. The 151 strikeout number certainly doesn’t jump off the page, but Suarez has never been a power pitcher, but is much more adept at inducing soft contact and consistent ground balls, relying on command and pitch mix rather than velocity.
Although most Red Sox fans probably don’t believe ownership and the front office have put the team in a position to make their way into the postseason for the second straight year after being eliminated by their rival New York Yankees in the Wild Card series last season, the early returns on Ranger Suarez’s postseason career should excite the Fenway faithful. In 11 postseason appearances, Suarez has a 4-1 record with a 1.48 ERA. In three postseason relief appearances, Suarez has also recorded a save.
Suarez is absolutely a signing that improves the Red Sox 2026 team, but that does not make up for the missed opportunities earlier this offseason. While the Red Sox were reportedly interested in premier bats Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, their offers were not competitive enough to reel in the big fish. As mentioned above, Boston still has a glaring need in the infield, still looking to replace Bregman, while also exploring possibilities at 2B. The Red Sox offseason should be nowhere near complete, and Sox fans can hope that the addition of Ranger Suarez can get the ball rolling for a late offseason surge.
