PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 23: Ranger Suarez #55 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after the Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres in game five to win the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 23, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Historically, the Boston Red Sox are only as good as their pitching. Over the past decade, the Boston Red Sox have made four postseason appearances, winning one World Series. Within that time frame, the Red Sox offense has scored the second-most runs in baseball, with 8,353, only behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that time frame, the Red Sox offense has placed in the top ten in runs scored in eight seasons. However, the pitching tells a different story. 

Boston’s 4.21 ERA as a staff over the last decade ranks 15th in baseball, with just three seasons in which the team posted an ERA below 4. Those seasons were 2016, 2017, and 2018, which were also three of the four seasons in the past decade that Boston made the playoffs. In 2025, the Red Sox pitching has vastly improved, primarily due to the bullpen posting an American League-best 3.41 ERA, and the rotation’s 3.92 ERA is the lowest since 2018. 

With Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Conelly, Early, Payton Tolle, Richard Fitts, Patrick Sandavol, and Kutter Crawford all under contract for 2025, the Red Sox could use a veteran starting pitcher who can slide in as the #2 pitcher on the staff behind Crochet, preferably with postseason experience.

“What we need to do, and we will do over the course of the offseason is take a step back and really recognize what type of potential pitching additions or acquisitions really move the needle for us because we do have what I would suggest is a strong group of pitching depth.” Breslow stated on the 310 to Left Podcast.

Who moves the needle in this year’s Free Agent class? For me, the best pitcher available this offseason is Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suárez.

The Most Reliable Pitcher in the 2026 Free Agent Class

Since Ranger Suárez became a full-time starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022, few starters in baseball have been as effective. Since 2022, Suárez is 1 of 13 pitchers to throw at least 550 innings, have 50 or more quality starts and post an ERA below 3.60, the only other Free Agent starting pitcher on that list is Framber Valdez. What truly stands out about Suárez is how reliable he is in the Postseason, especially in comparison to the other high-profile Pitchers in this Winter’s Free Agent class. In eight postseason appearances, Suárez has a 4-1 record with a 1.48 ERA, and one save. This post-season, he pitched five innings of relief allowing only one run securing the win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Suárez’s 1.48 Postseason ERA is significantly lower than Framber Valdez (4.34), Zac Gallen (4.54), Shane Bieber (4.73) and Dylan Cease (8.74).

The last two seasons are where Ranger Suárez has truly established himself as a frontline starter. Since the start of 2024, Suárez’s 7.5 WAR is ahead of starting pitchers such as Hunter Greene, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Nathan Eovaldi, Joe Ryan, Jesús Luzardo and Freddy Peralta. All of whom are considered front line starting pitchers.

“It’s probably impractical that we’re going to have all four of them back.” Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski stated about his big four Free Agents at the Phillies Season End Press Conference.

Is Suárez‘s Success Sustainable as he enters his 30’s?

That is the 100-million-dollar question. Ranger Suárez is not the type of pitcher who is blessed with triple digit velocity. In fact, Suárez’s 90.5 average fastball velocity ranks in the 7th percentile among pitchers. Suárez’s generates his success by having a four-pitch mix with pin-point control that generates weak contact. The average exit velocity against Suárez’s was 86.5 MPH, ranking in the 95th percentile and the Hard-Hit Percentage of 31.1% ranked in the 98th percentile. An area where Suárez’s truly stands out is his ability to change speeds. His changeup is 11 MPH slower than his sinker and is curveball is 17 MPH slower and drops 14 inches.

Other pitchers who induce weak contact due to a deep arsenal of pitches along with elite command are Max Fried, Spencer Schwellenbach and Nick Martinez. However, they all possess higher velocity than Suárez’s. Martinez, a pitcher who also possesses below average velocity was unable to replicate his 2024 success posing a 4.45 ERA and a 4.33 FIP after a 2024 season where he produced a 3.10 ERA and a 3.21 FIP. Despite posting strong numbers over the last three seasons, it is worth noting that Suárez has been viewed as a streaky pitcher over the course of his career and his breakout 2025 campaign is no different.

The biggest concern around Ranger Suárez is his velocity. If the average velocity on his sinker falls from 90MPH to 89 or 88 MPH as he ages, it could be a big and expensive problem for any team that signs him. It is no secret that fastball velocity is something that the Boston Red Sox prioritize. Nonetheless, if you are putting a pros and cons list together for every Free Agent Suárez definitely has the most pros attached to him. But at the end of the day, I do not think the Boston Red Sox would sign Ranger Suárez to the nine figure deal it will require to land a pitcher of his caliber.