The Boston Red Sox are finally on the board in free agency.
Just hours after Alex Bregman’s deal with the Chicago Cubs was made official, the Red Sox made their first major league free agent signing of the winter on Wednesday. agree to five-year, $130 million contract with left-handed Ranger Suarez. Boston was the only MLB team that had yet to add to its major league roster via free agency this winter, with its additions to this point (including Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Johan Oviedo) all coming via trade. Suárez represents Boston’s biggest move to date — and a fascinating and unexpected pivot following the loss of Bregman.
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Once Bregman fled to Chicago, it was natural to speculate about how the Red Sox would attempt to replace his bat, despite a limited selection of alternatives still available in free agency or via trade. But even though the Red Sox have been linked to infielder Bo Bichette, reports have indicated that Boston plans to rely more on its pitching staff as its main strength, rather than trying to fill Bregman’s impact on offense. It’s possible Boston could make one more offensive addition to make up for the loss of Bregman, but this Suárez deal suggests a throw-first strategy has indeed been activated. It’s also a sudden jolt in a starting pitching market that’s largely dormant, and it could spark action involving the other top arms available, such as Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen.
Early in the offseason, Red Sox director of baseball Craig Breslow was not shy about expressing his intent to add impact to the starting pitchers. “I don’t think we’re going to spend a lot of time trying to add a No. 4 starter, a No. 5,” he said during the general manager meetings in November. “If we’re going to add a starting pitcher, I think it should be someone who can pitch at the top of a rotation…especially someone who we think can pitch alongside or get behind Garrett (Crochet) and start a playoff game for us.”
A few weeks later, the Red Sox acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the Cardinals, a very accomplished arm but one who doesn’t necessarily fit Breslow’s description. Gray has proven to be effective during his tenure in St. Louis, and his massive $31 million salary is on par with that of a front-line arm, but as he enters his age-36 season, he projects more as a reliable mid-rotation option than someone you’d feel confident handing the ball to in October. A few weeks later, the Sox added Johan Oviedo from Pittsburgh to further bolster their rotation depth, but once Boston focused on retaining Bregman, any rotation talk was largely put on the back burner.
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Clearly, Bregman’s exit prompted an urgent re-examination of the pitching situation; It seems no coincidence that this pivot to Suárez happened so quickly after Bregman left. Was this the plan all along, based on the knowledge that Bregman might leave? Or was it strictly a reaction to the situation Boston unexpectedly found itself in? Regardless, what matters now is that Suárez is Boston-bound, and his bid to become Hook’s co-ace is certainly compelling, if unusual in some ways.
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We’re not sure if Breslow had Suárez in mind when he mentioned wanting someone who “could start a playoff game” for the Red Sox, but it’s easy to imagine the left-hander’s postseason track record standing out as an enticing part of his resume. His ERA of 1.48 is fourth lowest in MLB history among pitchers who have made at least seven postseason starts with at least 40 total innings pitched, trailing only Sandy Koufax, Christy Mathewson and Stephen Strasburg. And perhaps his most memorable October outing was a relief, when he closed out the 2022 NLCS to win the pennant for the Phillies, the only organization he has ever known, having signed as a teenager from Venezuela in 2012.
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Suárez also excelled in the regular season. While he doesn’t have the kind of workload typically associated with pitchers signed to nine-figure contracts — especially compared to the top two starters available this winter, Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez — Suárez has been reliable and effective when on the mound: Over the past five seasons, he ranked 15th in fWAR despite ranking 38th in innings pitched, and his career-high workload came last year, when he threw 157⅓ frames in 26 starts. Recurring back injuries have cost Suárez time in three of the last five seasons, something to watch out for as he gets older.
The stellar stats speak for themselves and paint the picture of a worthy new co-star at the top of Boston’s rotation. Things, however, stand in stark contrast to those of Suárez’s new rotation mate. While Hook is one of the most powerful pitchers in baseball, Suárez’s average fastball velocity on his four-seamer (91.3 mph) and sinker (90.1 mph) is among lowest of any rotation arm in the league. And his velocity has been trending down recently, with his 2025 averages slightly lower than the 93 mph he averaged across both heaters from 2021-2023.
Viewed favorably, Suárez’s ability to accumulate outs without superior speed is a good sign of his advanced pitchability and the likelihood that he can maximize his repertoire as he ages. A more bearish outlook would highlight the fear that if Suárez suffers another significant drop in velocity, he risks seeing his fastballs become unplayable against the best hitters on the planet.
Velo aside, with the added mastery of a multitude of offerings beyond his two fastballs – a terrific changeup and curveball, plus a cutter – it’s no surprise that Suárez’s run prevention track record is strong, and he thrives on inducing low contact with the ground rather than accumulating whiffs. In short, he’s a very good pitcher, even if the aesthetics of his arsenal pale in comparison to that of the average front-line arm in 2026.
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With this addition comes a new round of “what now?” Questions will swirl around the Red Sox, specifically involving their position player group that remains both unbalanced and incomplete. Do not retain Bregman — their main target this winter and also a main character in the midst of a tumultuous year for the franchise – was an organizational failure in every way. But with a resolution finally reached, even if it wasn’t the one they hoped for, the Red Sox can move forward in their efforts to build a contending team in 2026. Suárez is a bold first step in the post-Bregman era, and more are likely to come.
