The Boston Red Sox have some rotation question marks heading into the 2027 season, but the organization has the talent to have one of the best rotations once again.
Boston finished the 2026 regular season with the eighth-best rotation ERA in baseball at 3.92, although that doesn't tell the entire story. Boston didn't have Payton Tolle on the Opening Day roster, and yet he made 26 starts and had a 3.03 ERA. Plus, he started Game 1 of the wild-card round against the New York Yankees. The rotation didn't come out of the gate hot, which is why it finished with the eighth-best staff ERA. But for the vast majority of the season, it was actually better than that.
Heading into the 2027 season, most of the Red Sox's rotation already is set, although there are a few questions. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey noted that Tolle, Jake Bennett and Ranger Suarez are all "locks" heading into the 2026 season, but acknowledged there are at least some questions with Brayan Bello, Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray, who is likely heading to free agency.
"With Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Ranger Suarez as rotation locks, questions loom about Brayan Bello’s role and Sonny Gray’s status," McCaffrey wrote. "That makes Crochet’s healthy return all the more important, but also suggests Breslow will seek rotation reinforcements to buffer against the inevitable rotation injury."
What This Means
It's not shocking at all to see Tolle, Suarez and Bennett talked about as "locks" for the 2027 rotation. If anyone would be a question mark in this group, it would be Bennett. But that's not because of production. He was great in 2026, but the Red Sox's are very lefty-heavy in the rotation. Tolle, Suarez and Bennett are all left-handed.
Although there is a bit of a question around Crochet, he will be in the rotation barring an injury setback. The only reason why there is even a question around Crochet is because he missed most of the 2026 season. He was healthy at the end, though, and pitched in the playoffs. If there are no setbacks, then he'll be just fine. Then that would be four lefties in Boston's 2027 rotation.
Bello and Gray are actually a bit more interesting. When Bello is at his best, he can be a frontline starter. He had a 3.35 ERA in 2025 and is one of the biggest reasons why Boston even made the playoffs in the first place. In 2026, he was all over the place. When he started games, he struggled for most of the season, until the end. But when he came in behind an opener, he was untouchable. It was an odd situation to manage throughout the season. Bello already has an extension and surely will play a big role in 2027, but will that be in the rotation or the bullpen? Arguably, it should be in the rotation. He's just 27 years old and can be electric. He has the talent to be a star, the Red Sox just need to get him in the right position.
Then, what about Gray? The star righty has a $30 million mutual option that is sure to be declined. Gray is going to pitch in 2027. He already confirmed that. Gray will likely head to free agency, barring an extension from Boston. Do you pay up to keep Gray? If so, he'd obviously be in the rotation. Then, that would be five with him and the four lefties. So, that would seemingly align Bello for the bullpen. Or, potentially even a six-man rotation, although there has been no indication of that.
Also, we shouldn't forget that Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford are with the organization still. Houck got healthy at the end of the season and will surely be someone to watch in the spring. Crawford is a massive question mark in general. If healthy, he's another guy to watch. It's better to have more arms than less, but it is going to be interesting to see how Boston handles things. The three "locks" plus Crochet four lefties. The fifth spot would then seemingly go to a righty with Bello, Houck, Crawford, Johan Oviedo, Gray or an external addition as options to watch. On paper, the talent is there for the Red Sox to have one of the best rotations in baseball no matter how they shake it out. But they will have decisions to make.
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