Red Sox 2025-26 Off Season

[Vermont Green]

I guess we can start this.  The big news today is Sonny Gray.  I am still digesting but seems like a decent get.

[Roy H.]

Solid pitcher.  He's paid like a #1 and probably closer to a #3, and he's 36, but he'll show up and he'll pitch pretty well when he does.

I'm not psyched about giving up Clarke, but you have to give something to get something.

[Vermont Green]

"Full trade: Sonny Gray and $20 million to BOS, Brandon Clarke and Richard Fitts to STL. Red Sox on the hook for $21M of this," Chris Cotillo of MassLive shared in a post on X.

They are getting some money to pay down the salary.

[boscel33]

Solid pitcher.  He's paid like a #1 and probably closer to a #3, and he's 36, but he'll show up and he'll pitch pretty well when he does.

I'm not psyched about giving up Clarke, but you have to give something to get something.

That's probably where he'll line up, Crochet, Bello, Gray will be top three.  I think this is a decent deal, and we didn't give up the park like we usually do.

[Vermont Green]

Upon further review, I still like the deal.  Doesn't solve all the pitching problems, but a solid step in the right direction.  I don't know prospects all that well so who knows what Brandon Clarke will be.  I saw enough of Fitts to know that I am not all that concerned to give him up.

With the cash to cover some salary, this should not impact making other deals.  They should still be able to spend some money.  Hopefully that will be the case.

[Vermont Green]

I don't know the exact order, but the starting pitching is shaping up as:

Crochet
Gray
Bello
Harrison
Sandoval
Crawford

Other Possible contributors

Houck
Tolle
Early
Dobbins

[Jiri Welsch]

I don't know the exact order, but the starting pitching is shaping up as:

Crochet
Gray
Bello
Harrison
Sandoval
Crawford

Other Possible contributors

Houck
Tolle
Early
Dobbins

Thankfully the offseason is just starting! They definitely need to get another solid arm, Gray notwithstanding.

[Goldstar88]

Solid pitcher.  He's paid like a #1 and probably closer to a #3, and he's 36, but he'll show up and he'll pitch pretty well when he does.

I'm not psyched about giving up Clarke, but you have to give something to get something.

That's probably where he'll line up, Crochet, Bello, Gray will be top three.  I think this is a decent deal, and we didn't give up the park like we usually do.

What do you mean give up the park like they usually do?

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

This news excited me. Gray?s not a Cy Young candidate, and he?s getting up there in age, but he?s usually among the MLB leaders in strikeouts, and he pitches a lot of innings. He?s also more known and more reliable than many of Boston?s rotation hopefuls.

[boscel33]

Solid pitcher.  He's paid like a #1 and probably closer to a #3, and he's 36, but he'll show up and he'll pitch pretty well when he does.

I'm not psyched about giving up Clarke, but you have to give something to get something.

That's probably where he'll line up, Crochet, Bello, Gray will be top three.  I think this is a decent deal, and we didn't give up the park like we usually do.

What do you mean give up the park like they usually do?

We've overpaid on a number of trades in the past, so we gave up the park to get a player.  The normal use of that phrase is give up the farm, but I used park for the baseball reference.

[Phantom255x]

That can't be the only move for SPs.

I can sort of understand it if they add two big bats (or keep Bregman + add a bat) but if they are only gonna do one bat then they need another SP. Can't be compromising too much.

[Vermont Green]

I am curious about Patrick Sandoval, all but forgotten.  He was a very solid starting pitcher in 2022 and 2023 for LAA.  In 2024, he was mediocre for half the season until they shut him down in June of 2024 and he had TJ surgery (actually internal brace surgery, I don't know the difference).  He was predicted to come back in the second half of 2025, but obviously he didn't.  He turned 29 in mid October.

I understand that he was throwing bullpen sessions in July, had set backs, and so they pulled the plug on that.  Best case, he could be another solid mid-rotation veteran pitcher.  Worst case, he never pitches at an MLB level again or can't hold up for a whole season.

Since Boston knew Sandoval would be out of commission for most of the 2025 season, he's due most of his $18.25 million contract in 2026. The Red Sox paid Sandoval $5.5 million last season and he'll make the rest, $12.75 million, this coming year.