With Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray, do the Red Sox have an elite rotation?

"2025 in a sentence: Suarez started the season on the IL, but was rock solid once he got back on the field in May. Ranger Suarez has been remarkably consistent over the past four seasons. He's averaging 26 starts, 147 innings, and a 3.59 ERA over that span. 2026 will be his first season with a team not named the Philadelphia Phillies, but you can expect more of the same from Suarez."

"For Suarez, it's all about command. He's going to be really tough on lefties and won't see many of them as a result. He pounds the inside part of the plate with sinkers and four-seamers, before turning to his curveball and slider out of the zone to put hitters away. The curveball is particularly effective at getting hitters to expand the zone; the chase rate on the pitch over the last three seasons is nearly 50%."

"Tier Two: Been Around The Block This next tier consists of Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray, the two guys who are getting paid a lot of money to be in the Red Sox rotation. Suarez is entering his eighth season, while Gray is entering his 14th. While labeling guys as "a decent two" or "a three for a playoff team" is a silly endeavor in my opinion, these guys will likely start on the second and third day of the season."

Two veteran pitchers, Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray, occupy the Red Sox's tier-two rotation spots and are expected to start on days two and three. Suarez has averaged 26 starts, 147 innings and a 3.59 ERA across the past four seasons and joins a new team in 2026. Suarez's game centers on exceptional command, attacking inside with sinkers and four-seamers and using curveballs and sliders out of the zone to induce chases. The curveball has produced a nearly 50% chase rate over three seasons. Suarez also mixes a changeup with two strikes that has shown promise in small samples.

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