There\u2019s no question that the Boston Red Sox are a dramatically different team now than the one Craig Breslow took over in late 2023.<\/p>\n
In fact, they\u2019re a very different team<\/a> than they were just a few months ago.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a busy offseason for Breslow, who\u2019s reshaped the Red Sox into a pitching-rich ballclub. Coming off a successful 2025 campaign where Boston made the postseason but ultimately ran out of starting pitchers, Breslow has spent much of the winter addressing that problem by fortifying his team\u2019s pitching depth<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the process, Breslow has built arguably the best rotation<\/a> in baseball with Garrett Crochet at the top, followed by Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and Johan Oviedo. The Red Sox have plenty of depth behind them, too, giving them their deepest and most talented rotation in years.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a question anymore that the identity of our team and the strength of our team is going to be our pitching.”<\/p>\n On a different type of contending Red Sox team in 2026:https:\/\/t.co\/5hU7TWd19h<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a question anymore that the identity of our team and the strength of our team is going to be our pitching and our ability to prevent runs,\u201d Breslow said during Suarez\u2019s introductory press conference<\/a> on Wednesday. \u201cI think the improvements we made on the pitching side are significant.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n Breslow\u2019s roster-building strategy marks a considerable change for Boston, which has historically been built around offense and lineups that took advantage of Fenway Park. Pitching has often been overlooked or considered an afterthought, especially during Chaim Bloom\u2019s tenure, where the Red Sox never had a true ace and consistently ran out of arms down the stretch.<\/p>\n Breslow\u2019s strategy is thus a bold departure from his predecessor\u2019s. It\u2019s more similar to Dave Dombrowski\u2019s, which focused heavily on starting pitching and built a tremendous rotation around David Price, Chris Sale, Rick Porcello, Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Boston is hoping its impressive pitching can help compensate for its diminished lineup<\/a>, which lost Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman in the past calendar year. Breslow did trade for Willson Contreras and is still looking to add another bat, but the offense remains light on power.<\/p>\n Regardless of who else (if anyone) Breslow acquires this offseason, the 2026 Red Sox are going to look very different than the 2025 Red Sox.<\/p>\n \t