The Boston Red Sox need to add to their pitching staff if they want a real chance to contend in October.
This season, their staff was missing one or two reliable options down the stretch, which forced the Red Sox to rely on young pitchers with the season on the line. This didn’t haunt them too badly this season, but it’s not a recipe for success. In free agency, the Red Sox need to add more talent.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly recently projected the Red Sox would sign Merrill Kelly of the Texas Rangers to a one-year, $13.5 million deal.
“The Red Sox would be a great fit for him, particularly if they don’t re-sign Lucas Giolito. Boston has the Cy Young runner-up in Garrett Crochet at the top of its rotation, with Brayan Bello behind him. But after that, there’s some uncertainty,” Kelly wrote. “Connelly Early has pitched 19 regular-season innings in his MLB career, while Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are both coming back from Tommy John surgery. Tanner Houck will likely miss all of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.”
The Red Sox are likely going to look to make a splash for a big-name bat. They could pursue two huge bats like Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso, which would handicap their budget for pitching.
As a result, an affordable deal for a veteran like Kelly would make a lot of sense. It wouldn’t be the blockbuster deal that many fans seem to want, but it would fit the team better than adding an ace for over $150 million.
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