The Boston Red Sox look very much like a franchise that has flipped the competitive switch back to win-now mode, especially after unloading the most cumbersome financial commitment on their payroll. Earlier this past season, the club stunned much of Major League Baseball when it decided to move on from Rafael Devers, shipping out the star third baseman along with the massive $313 million contract that had once been viewed as a long-term organizational anchor. The timing of the move — well ahead of the trade deadline — made it appear that Boston was ready to embark on a full-scale reset.
Instead, what happened next transformed the trajectory of the franchise. Rather than crumbling, the roster rebounded. A group largely written off as a seller found unexpected momentum, stringing together enough strong play to force its way back into postseason contention.
The surprising surge altered the front office’s posture entirely. Rather than continuing to dismantle the roster, the Red Sox front office seemed to decide that the core still had enough talent to compete — and that the time had come to supplement it.
That shift became unmistakable when Boston completed a major trade to acquire St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray, who is heading into the third season of a three-year, $75 million contract. Bringing in Gray, a veteran with a long résumé as a frontline-caliber starter, signaled an abrupt pivot from selling to aggressively buying.
Craig Breslow, the team’s chief baseball officer, made no attempt to hide the organization’s enthusiasm regarding Gray’s arrival. Speaking with reporters — as relayed by Hayden Bird of Boston.com — Breslow praised nearly every facet of Gray’s profile.
“When you think about what Sonny has been in this league,” Breslow noted, “you’re talking about someone who has pitched at the top of rotations for a long time. The underlying traits that we believe remain consistent in elite pitchers — things like strikeout rate, walk rate, the ability to avoid hard contact — he does all of those things at a really high level. We’re thrilled to be adding a guy who has posted back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons and consistently carries a significant workload.”
To Breslow and the front office, Gray is the type of stabilizing, durable arm that gives a roster real credibility. For a team trying to compete deep into October, adding a pitcher who can reliably take the mound every fifth day and miss bats at a high level is no small thing.
Still, even though Gray instantly becomes one of the most accomplished starters on the staff, the move raises an important question: Is he enough to serve as a true No. 2 option behind Garrett Crochet, the young left-hander many Boston fans envision as the staff ace of the future? That uncertainty stems from Gray’s recent performance. Despite his durability, he delivered a relatively ordinary 4.28 ERA during the 2025 campaign with St. Louis — a serviceable figure, but not what most teams expect from a top-of-the-rotation presence.
Because of that, Breslow himself hinted — subtly, but unmistakably — that the Red Sox might not be done reshaping their rotation.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe explained this dynamic clearly, noting that Breslow avoided explicitly labeling Gray as the No. 2 starter not because he doubts the pitcher’s value, but because Boston may still be targeting an even stronger rotation addition. Breslow’s reluctance appears less about Gray’s capabilities and more about preserving flexibility ahead of another potential splash.
If the Red Sox are truly aiming to bring in a starter who would rank ahead of Gray — someone who could be the bridge between Crochet and the rest of the rotation — then they are likely looking at a relatively small group of players. The free-agent market does not feature many pitchers capable of providing that kind of impact. A few names stand out: Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, and Michael King, all of whom have track records that suggest they could immediately slot near the top of a rotation.
But acquiring any of them would not be cheap. In fact, very far from it.
Valdez, Suárez, and King all appear positioned to command enormous contracts, potentially pushing into the $200 million range. Such price tags reflect both their proven ability and the current state of the pitching market, where demand drastically outweighs supply. For a Boston team that just shed Devers’ long-term financial burden yet still has multiple roster needs, committing another massive contract would represent a bold — and undeniably risky — decision.
The trade market may offer other paths to acquiring a premium starter, but those options bring their own complications. High-end pitchers under team control typically command huge prospect packages. After years of roster churn and system rebuilding, Boston may be reluctant to empty its farm system unless the return is a true franchise-changing arm.
Nonetheless, the fact that Breslow is leaving open the possibility of such a move reveals just how dramatically the team’s posture has shifted from the beginning of the season. What once looked like a transition year has suddenly become a window of opportunity, likely driven by a combination of Crochet’s emergence, the roster’s unexpected competitive push, and an organizational desire to return the Red Sox to the forefront of American League contention.
By adding Gray, Boston has already taken a significant first step toward fortifying its rotation. But if the team truly intends to build a pitching staff capable of carrying it through a championship run, the front office may indeed need to pursue an even bigger prize. Whether through free agency or a blockbuster trade, landing a pitcher who can sit between Crochet and Gray would dramatically elevate the rotation’s ceiling.
Of course, making such a move would require the Red Sox to wade into deep financial waters or part with some of their most valuable young talent. Either route would represent a major organizational commitment — and a clear declaration that Boston believes its competitive window has re-opened sooner than many expected.
For now, though, what’s certain is this: by shedding Devers’ contract, rallying to reach the playoffs, and now adding Gray, the Red Sox have positioned themselves as a team ready to push forward rather than pull back. And if another major pitching acquisition materializes, that message will become even louder.
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