How the Red Sox pitching rotation looks like after signing World Series winner Walker Buehler

The Boston Red Sox added World Series winner Walker Buehler to their pitching staff for a one-year $21.05 million contract along with incentives, which rounds off a decent pitching rotation with experience and youth that should be competitive.

Here's taking a look at their possible rotation on Opening Day 2025:

Ace: Garret Crochet

Red Sox's trade acquisition Garret Crochet might end up being their best deal this offseason.

The ex-White Sox pitcher struck out 209 batters in 146 innings in 2024, and despite a 121-loss season, he was one of the only shining lights. If he's able to give one more season with a strong batting lineup to back him, Crochet might etch his name into Cy Young contention.

Number two starter: Tanner Houck

Tanner Houck led the Red Sox rotation last season, recording a 3.12 ERA from 30 starts.

With injuries to his colleagues - Lucas Giolito and Garret Whitlock, Houck tried his best to gain some momentum for his team through his pitching. He also notched up 178.1 innings, showing signs of a consistent arm throughout the year.

Middle of the rotation: Walker Buehler and Brayan Bello

Walker Buehler will slot in as the third starter, like he did for the Los Angeles Dodgers for most of their title-winning season.

Walker Buehler's return to the mound after missing almost two years due to Tommy John, was mixed recording a 1-6, 5.38 ERA in the regular season. However, his postseason 3.60 ERA, which included a World Series Game 3 five-inning shutout and a Game 5 ninth-inning closer role, are good signs for Boston.

Brayan Bello is yet to prove that he's worth the six-year $55 million contract extension the Red Sox signed him to. At 25, Bello has been inconsistent at the plate, posting a 14-8, 4.49 ERA, with most of his best form coming in the later half of the season.

He needs to keep up good form as the season gets underway otherwise Alex Cora might opt for others to replace him.

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Bottom of the order: Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito

Kutter Crawford went 9-16 with a 4.36 ERA in 2024 but struck out 175 batters. His competition for the last spot in the five-man rotation would be Lucas Giolito, who's coming off a Tommy John surgery and is a career 61-62 pitcher with a 4.43 ERA.

Backups for the team include - Richard Fitts, who recorded a 1.74 ERA over four starts last year, Josh Wincowski, bullpen arm who could slot in as a starter because of injuries, and a returning Garret Whitlock.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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Edited by Bhargav