Ragans would form a devastating 1-2 punch atop Boston’s rotation with Garrett Crochet.
Cole Ragans would be another power arm in Boston’s rotation. Barry Chin/Globe Staff
COMMENTARY
The Boston Red Sox added a talent arm to their starting rotation this winter by trading for Sonny Gray last week.
But, is the arrival of Gray — a three-time All-Star and 2023 Cy Young Award runner-up — enough to put a win-now Boston roster over the top?
If the 36-year-old Gray represents a replacement for Lucas Giolito, there’s a lot to like about what the veteran could offer with his swing-and-miss stuff.
But, if Gray is Boston’s answer for a No. 2 option behind Garrett Crochet in the rotation, that might be asking a lot.
As Craig Breslow looks to maximize the potential of this Red Sox roster, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe noted that Boston might still be in the hunt for top pitching this winter.
Minnesota’s Joe Ryan has been a familiar name for Red Sox fans when it comes to a coveted offseason addition.
Speier threw another name out for Boston’s potential offseason targets: Royals lefty Cole Ragans.
And if Kansas City — desperate for impact outfielders — is willing to move the southpaw, the Red Sox shouldn’t hesitate.
“Kansas City isn’t hiding its willingness to deal a rotation member for an outfielder, Speier wrote. “’Our starting pitching, we have some depth there,’ said Royals general manager J.J. Piccolo. ‘A lot of teams are looking for starting pitching, so if we have what they may be interested in, and they have an outfielder that would be of interest, then there’s potentially the opportunity to make a deal.’
“Is anyone, including left-hander Cole Ragans, off limits? ‘I wouldn’t say off limits,’ said Piccolo, who noted that the Royals were reluctant to deal either Seth Lugo or Michael Wacha after the two veteran right-handers committed to them via free agency. ‘There would have to be a really big return for one (starter) in particular.’
“That starter, of course, is Ragans. Though the Royals would prefer a right-handed-hitting outfielder, they won’t be tethered to the notion — making their considerable interest in Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran at the trade deadline notable.”
At first glance, a righty like the 29-year-old Ryan posted stronger returns (13-10, 3.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) than the soon-to-be-28 year old Ragans (3-3, 4.67 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) in 2025.
But, similar to Crochet’s profile before arriving in Boston, a peak under the hood at Ragans’ arsenal of pitches maps out a potential ace who could form a devastating 1-2 punch with Crochet moving forward.
Injuries might have hindered Ragans in 2025, but the Royals starter finished fourth in the 2024 American League Cy Young voting — going 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA and 223 strikeouts across 186.1 innings of work.
Rotator cuff and groin ailments loomed large last season, but Ragans’ 4.67 ERA might have been a bit misleading.
Over his 13 starts (61.1 innings), Ragans struck out 98 batters — equating to an impressive 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
Ragans also posted a 2.50 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) — which gauges a pitcher’s performance off of things that they can directly control, like strikeouts, walks, hit batters, and home runs.
As such, the case can be made that Ragans had some poor luck in terms of fielding miscues or bloop hits that inflated his ERA.
There might be some risk involved with Ragans regarding those recent injuries, but Boston also rolled the dice on a starter in Crochet whose limited workload and injury woes raised questions despite his filthy arsenal of pitches.
Fair to say, Boston doesn’t regret taking a swing on a starter in Crochet who finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting this fall.
Further bolstering Ragans’ value is his favorable contract, with the lefty under team control through the end of the 2028 season after signing a three-year, $13.25 million pre-arbitration extension with Kansas City.
Granted, that affordable contract and Ragans’ considerable upside would also require Boston giving up a hefty package of impact MLB talent and blue-chip prospects to pry him out of Kansas City.
An established big-leaguer like Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, or Ceddanne Rafaela would be a likely headliner in a trade — given KC’s desire for a top outfielder and Boston’s need to solve their logjam with the arrival of Roman Anthony.
And, even with top prospects like Anthony and Marcelo Mayer now in the majors, Boston could deal away other youngsters like Franklin Arias, Connelly Early, Jhostynxon Garcia, and others in order to complete a blockbuster swap.
Breslow and his staff still have plenty of work to do when it comes to bolstering other areas of the roster — including adding more pop to the lineup.
But, as Boston looks to build a sustainable contender during this new window, adding both Gray AND a starter like Ragans would make the Red Sox one of the most imposing teams in baseball entering the 2026 campaign.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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