The Boston Red Sox’s rotation has changed dramatically since the end of the 2024 season. Brayan Bello is the only holdover (though Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford are still on the roster), with Garrett Crochet and three 2025-26 offseason acquisitions currently penciled into the starting five. That’s a far different picture than the one Patrick Sandoval signed up for last winter, but you have to play the hand you’re dealt.
The longtime Los Angeles Angels pitcher joined a long list of rehabbing pitchers to ink a two-year deal with Craig Breslow. Like most others, Sandoval was expected to miss most of the first season of his contract before returning to the Red Sox as a rotation option in 2026. That he wound up missing all of last year after an internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow in June 2024 doesn’t really matter; the value on his $18.25 million contract was also going to be derived in the second season. Hence, the team backloaded his salary, paying him just $5.5 million as he recovered and nearly $13 million this year now that he’s expected to return.
The idea is solid enough in theory. It was the same practice Breslow took with Lucas Giolito, who missed all of 2024 before delivering a strong campaign as the team’s No. 3 starter in 2025. And the problem here isn’t Sandoval himself — he’s got the talent to succeed in a starting rotation at the major-league level.
From 2021-22, Sandoval covered 235 2/3 innings for the Halos, earning 5.3 bWAR on the back of a 3.17 ERA and 3.44 FIP. Opposing batters mustered just a .653 OPS against him, as he excelled at limiting hard contact (34.7% hard-hit rate) and generating ground balls (48% ground-ball rate). He tunneled his three primary pitches (a change-up, fastball, and sinker) beautifully, and save for a less-than-stellar 9.6% walk rate, he was above average in nearly every Statcast metric.
Things changed in 2023 when his newfound slider betrayed his various fastballs. He was still excellent at managing contact quality and forcing batters to pound the ball into the dirt, but he lost his ability to get key whiffs and chases when he needed them. More balls in plays led to worse results, and then his injury in 2024 practically sapped him of all his effectiveness on the mound. If he returns to health and plays around with his pitch mix, there’s no reason why he couldn’t be a capable back-end starter going forward, especially since he’s only 29 years old.
The issue facing both pitcher and team is that there’s not really any room left on the roster for the southpaw. Crochet, Bello, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, and Johan Oviedo are going to be the starting five come Opening Day barring an injury. There’s been too many resources invested in each pitcher (and too much upside in each of their respective arms) for this to go another way. There won’t be a spring training battle for the No. 5 job. The group is locked in.
So, what about a next-man-up role? It’s a lot of money to spend on a swingman and spot starter, but Sandoval has made seven career relief appearances, allowing a 4.18 ERA. The bullpen needs southpaws, and left-handed hitters have an OPS of just .598 against him (compared to .734 for righties). As a means of stashing him until an inevitable need in the rotation arises, that wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world, right?
In a technical sense, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. If he took to making multi-inning relief appearances, Sandoval could even earn his keep as a bulk reliever. But that also fills a role that the team may be eyeing for Kutter Crawford… or Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, Connelly Early, Ryan Watson, or David Sandlin. Sandoval technically has the advantage over all those players (besides Watson, a Rule 5 draft pick) because he has no option years remaining, but Crawford won’t be pitching in the minor leagues unless it’s on a rehab assignment.
And while he may be good as a leverage reliever, that wouldn’t be the best use of Sandoval’s talents (or salary). He isn’t a hard thrower nor a strikeout maven. His profile is well suited for facing a lineup multiple times at the start of games.
So, the bulk role it is… assuming he’s still on the Red Sox come Opening Day. Exploring a trade is another possibility, albeit one with practically no known quantities besides the money involved. A ton of teams still need starting pitching depth, and practically no one left on the market outside of Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen has Sandoval’s upside. Both of those pitchers would also be significantly more expensive to sign than the $12.75 million owed to the latter, though Valdez and Gallen have track records of far more recent success and don’t have the terrifying injury history that Sandoval does.
Would a team really be desperate enough to take on practically all of Sandoval’s remaining contract in a trade? A release/DFA is off the table, so that’s the lone route that could get him shipped out of Boston this year. It sounds and feels unlikely on the cusp of February, but if the veteran southpaw comes out flat in spring training and clearly cedes work to Crawford, Watson, Harrison, or one of the team’s top pitching prospects, it’s a route the Red Sox will have to explore.