Coming out of the 2024 season, the Red Sox have clear priorities for improvement. They need a powerful right-handed bat, ideally with significant home-run potential—something well-suited for Fenway Park. Additionally, revamping their bullpen is crucial, especially with the likely departures of Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen to free agency. However, their most pressing need is for a reliable starting pitcher—potentially even two.
Historically, the Red Sox have been hesitant to commit substantial, long-term financial resources to starting pitchers. While acquiring a high-profile arm like Corbin Burnes from the Orioles might sound ideal, it goes against the team’s typical approach.
Instead, former MLB general manager Jim Bowden’s recent piece in *The Athletic*, titled “2024-25 MLB offseason: Bowden’s 25 predictions for signings, trades and more,” suggests a more realistic path. Bowden predicts that the Red Sox will secure two mid-rotation pitchers with potential.
At No. 12 on Bowden’s list is the prediction: “The Red Sox sign righty Jack Flaherty to a three-year, $68 million contract and lefty Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $42 million deal.”
A Quantity Approach Over Quality
Flaherty and Kikuchi may not be guaranteed aces, but they have the capability to rise to that level. Flaherty, 29, had an impressive 2024 season, posting a 13-7 record with a 2.95 ERA and 133 strikeouts over 106.1 innings. He began the year with the Tigers before a trade to the Dodgers, where he played a pivotal role in their postseason success, winning crucial starts in both the NLCS and World Series.
Kikuchi, now 33, has had a mixed MLB career but thrived late in 2024 after being traded from Toronto to the Astros. Overall, he recorded a 9-10 record with a 4.05 ERA, but significantly improved to a 5-1 record, a 2.70 ERA, and a 0.933 WHIP in 10 starts during the stretch run for Houston.
The Red Sox also made a notable move by extending a qualifying offer to Nick Pivetta, which could secure him for another season. Pivetta had a 6-12 record with a 4.14 ERA in 2024.
Pitching Takes Center Stage
Adding Flaherty and Kikuchi, combined with the return of Lucas Giolito—who missed 2024 due to an elbow injury—and retaining Pivetta, would give the Red Sox a group of seven capable starters: Flaherty, Kikuchi, Giolito, Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Bryan Bello, and Kutter Crawford.
Houck showed significant improvement in 2024 and may be ready to assume the ace role by 2025, though he could still need more development. The team also expects Garrett Whitlock to return early in the season after elbow surgery, likely transitioning him back to the bullpen.
Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, underscored the organization’s focus on pitching. Speaking to reporters, he highlighted the importance of offering Pivetta a $21 million qualifying offer as a signal of that commitment.
“We’ve been clear about our need for pitching,” Breslow said, according to MLB.com. “Obviously, we know Nick well, and this is where we ultimately landed. We’ll see how it unfolds from here.”
