The Boston Red Sox are going to have some big decisions to make with their pitching staff come early May. As of right now, it's been solved, with Connelly Early in the starting rotation and moving Johan Oviedo to the bullpen to pitch out of long relief.
As for Kutter Crawford, his road to getting back in the rotation was difficult last year, but this year, it's all but impossible to get into it.
Last year, Crawford never pitched a game. He went through two major injuries that sidelined him and kept him on the injury list. First, he had a nagging knee soreness that turned into patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee), which had him start the season on the shelf. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL in mid-May. He was progressing in his rehab assignment in June. Sadly for him, he infamously hurt his wrist while moving stuff around his house, which required season-ending surgery on it, and it effectively ended his season before it even started.
Fast forward to the start of the 2026 MLB season, and it's hard to imagine that his outlook will change all that much.
Red Sox Must Consider a Kutter Crawford Trade This Season
Just a year ago, it was hard enough to make that rotation, which consisted of then-new acquisition Garrett Crochet, Lucas Giolito, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, and Walker Buehler. That's not even including mid-season call-ups like Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle.
Granted, Crawford might have made the rotation after the Houck and Dobbins season-ending injuries that occurred in June and early July, but to start the season, it would've been hard to break into it.
Now, 2026 is an even bigger logjam regardless of shedding Dobbins, Fitts, and Kyle Harrison in the offseason. Making a rotation that consists of Crochet, newly-acquired Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez, along with Brayan Bello and Early, seems unredeemable for him at this point. In fact, his value is at the lowest point right now, regardless of his 2024 season being one of the better ones in that rotation for that year.
In 2024, Crawford led the Red Sox in strikeouts with 175, but gave up the most home runs in baseball that year with 34, and had a subpar 4.34 ERA to boot. That doesn't say much at all, and he may just be dumped in a package by the end of the deadline. It wouldn't be shocking one bit for the Red Sox to trade him, along with a couple of prospects, for a bullpen piece at the deadline.
But that's three months from now, so anything can happen.
As of right now, Crawford is not making that rotation. Not with Early, Oviedo, and Payton Tolle all wanting that fifth rotation spot. Even if Tolle is in Triple-A, his chances of making the rotation at some point this year are higher than Crawford's.
Let's face it, his time in Boston is over, and it's time to part ways, likely sooner rather than later.