The Boston Red Sox got an earlier start on offseason planning than they had hoped.
Losing in three games to the rival New York Yankees in the best-of-three AL Wild Card Series was a bitter pill to swallow, especially after making a late charge to earn their first playoff berth since 2021. A lot went right in the second half for the Red Sox, who went from two games under .500 on June 30 to 89-73 when the regular season ended.
But the series loss to the Yankees exposed a few flaws that Boston will look to address during the winter months. And while there are key items on the to-do list related to the team’s position players – the Alex Bregman situation, the outfield logjam – adding quality pitching depth has to be near the top.
Popular opinion has the Red Sox looking outside the organization, either via trade or free agency, for a No. 2 starter to slot in behind ace Garrett Crochet. But it will take more than two to tango at the level that Boston hopes to reach in 2026, and there will be questions over who fills the 3-5 spots as well.
Red Sox Insider Touts Patrick Sandoval as Potential Key to Starting Rotation
Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, who is also co-host of the “Fenway Rundown” podcast, thinks the team already has viable options in house to make up a dangerous starting staff. In a post to X (formerly Twitter), Cotillo acknowledges the need to go out and get a “very good No. 2,” but he also lists several pitchers on the current roster – including Brayan Bello, Connelly Early, Hunter Dobbins, Kutter Crawford, Richard Fitts, Payton Tolle – to stress that Boston has “a pretty good group” to work with.
“Lots of depth. Good starters at AAA. Maybe someone (Fitts) in the pen,” he opines.
Although there’s another name, a somewhat forgotten arm who didn’t throw a single inning in 2025, that Cotillo cites as a potential difference maker next season.
“[Patrick] Sandoval is the X factor for me,” Cotillo offers.
It’s a fair label for a pitcher who hasn’t thrown a big-league pitch in more than a year but still looms as one of the most intriguing unknowns in Boston’s rotation plans.
A Healthy Patrick Sandoval May Provide Needed Depth for Boston’s Pitching Staff
When the Red Sox signed Sandoval to a two-year deal last December, it was with the knowledge that, after Tommy John surgery in June 2024, he would not be available for at least the first few months of 2025. But Boston was willing to bet on a bounce-back for the left-hander who had flashed legitimate mid-rotation stuff with the Angels — a sweeping slider, a changeup that neutralized right-handers, and enough life on the fastball to keep hitters guessing.
The stuff, when right, played. The question now is whether it will again.
Boston had hoped that Sandoval could make a mid-season return, but reports through the summer made clear the rehab was not progressing as planned and the club ultimately shut him down for the 2025 season shortly after the All-Star break. For a club that could have used the reinforcements down the stretch, it was a tough blow — but the cautious approach might pay dividends when camp opens in February.
By then, Sandoval, who turned 29 on Oct. 18, will be more than 18 months removed from his last competitive outing, a long enough window to regain strength and command if his body cooperates. If he returns resembling the version that posted a 3.09 ERA over 27 starts in 2022, the Red Sox suddenly have something more than back-end depth. They have a lefty who can bridge the gap between Garrett Crochet and the rest of the rotation, someone who can give them a different look every fifth day and handle meaningful innings in a pennant race.
That’s why Cotillo’s description fits so neatly. The Red Sox don’t need Sandoval to be an ace. They need him to be the missing piece — the one who rounds out a staff that too often leaned on the bullpen or hoped young arms would hold up through August. If he’s healthy, Sandoval gives them margin for error. If he’s not, the search for stability continues.
Boston has built a foundation around potential. What it hasn’t had is reliability. Sandoval’s comeback season could be the bridge between those two realities, and in a winter full of big questions, his recovery may end up being the most important answer of all.
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