Why Red Sox's decision to sign Ranger Suarez might lead to blockbuster trade

Matt Sullivan

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Why Red Sox's decision to sign Ranger Suarez might lead to blockbuster trade image

This winter, the Boston Red Sox have signed or traded for three starting pitchers: Johan Oviedo and Sonny Gray in trades, and Ranger Suarez in a free-agent signing.

After bringing Suarez to Boston, the team's latest roster move, the Red Sox now have an incredibly deep rotation, which features 10 Major League-quality arms, as Underdog MLB highlighted.

After Suarez signed on with his $130 million, five-year deal, the Red Sox now might entertain some blockbuster trade scenarios thanks to the incredible depth of their rotation. Thanks to their 10-man deep rotation, the Red Sox can pull off a big trade.

Why Red Sox could swing blockbuster trade after Ranger Suarez signing

The Red Sox now have 10 starting pitchers who are Major League caliber. Garrett Crochet, Gray, Suarez, Brayan Bello, and Oviedo make up the team's top-five, while Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and Kyle Harrison round out the top-10.

Of those starters, Suarez, Oviedo, Gray, and Crochet are all safe and wouldn't be traded. That leaves one spot in the typical five-man rotation among six quality candidates.

With six options for one spot in the rotation, the Red Sox have plenty of reason to move on from one of those starters this offseason to land an upgrade elsewhere.

Tolle and Early might be the most valuable trade assets, as the youngest starters who could be on the move. Sandoval and Crawford might have some value, but realistically, they aren't the best trade chips for Boston.

Instead, Bello and Harrison might be the best middle-ground. They're young pitchers who, while they've shown potential, haven't done enough to guarantee their status in the Red Sox rotation in 2026.

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If Craig Breslow and company can find the right suitor, a team looking for starting rotation help that's also selling an infielder the Red Sox could use to replace Bregman, then Boston might have a blockbuster trade on their hands.

Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks would make a lot of sense, though he's now off the trade block, barring a change from the Diamondbacks front office.

Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals would make some sense, though he's a left-handed hitter, and ideally, Boston would bring in a righty to fill the void left by Bregman.

Boston has plenty of trade candidates now that Suarez has signed, as six pitchers for one spot is vastly different than six pitchers for two spots in the rotation.

The Red Sox are worth keeping an eye on this offseason, as a trade involving one of their starting pitchers could very well be on the horizon.

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Editorial Team