3 Starting Pitchers Red Sox Must Pursue to Begin Free Agency
By Jovan Alford
The Boston Red Sox and the other 29 MLB teams are preparing for free agency, which officially begins on Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. ET.
This past season, the Red Sox’s rotation was ranked seventh in ERA, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies (3.81), an incredible improvement from 2023 (4.68, 22nd). Boston has four quality arms to lean on – Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito. But this club needs a true ace to lead its efforts on the mound and ensure they don't regress in 2025.
Luckily enough for Boston, there will be an abundance of starting pitching in free agency that could help out the Red Sox next season.
1. Corbin Burnes
The 30-year-old Burnes is one of the crown jewels in free agency after this past season with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Milwaukee Brewers traded Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles last offseason in exchange for Joey Ortiz, D.L. Hall, and a 2024 second-round pick. Burnes had a 15-9 record and 2.92 ERA across 32 regular season starts.
The four-time All-Star also produced 181 strikeouts but gave up 20-plus home runs for the third consecutive season (22) in 194.1 innings pitched. Burnes’ FIP was also a little bit high (3.55), which correlates to his advanced stats.
The veteran starter held opponents to a .226 batting average, which is still pretty good. But it was his highest OBA since 2019 (.330), where he pitched 49 innings.
Burnes’ strikeout percentage was slightly down in 2024 (23.1) after it was at 25.5 in 2023. The Red Sox saw the former NL Cy Young Award winner three times this past year. Burnes had a 2-1 record, but a 4.50 ERA in those starts.
According to Spotrac, the veteran right-handed pitcher’s calculated market value is at a six-year, $180.8 million deal with an average annual salary of $30.1 million. A potential 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Burnes and Houck would be phenomenal. Crawford pitched well this past season but gave up too many home runs (34 – major league worst).