The Boston Red Sox landed Garret Crochet last offseason, but could once again be searching for starting pitchers. Craig Breslow noted that if the team adds a starter, it will likely be one who can pitch near the top of their rotation.
There are plenty of elite arms available in free agency, and the Red Sox should have their pick of stars. MLB Trade Rumors’ Tim Dierkes and Darragh McDonald both predicted the Red Sox would sign Dylan Cease.
“Cease comes armed with a 97.1 mile per hour average fastball that ranked sixth among qualified starters this year,” MLB Trade Rumors wrote on Nov. 6. “Cease threw the most valuable slider in baseball in both 2022 and ’24, and he throws it even more than his fastball these days. When batters swing at Cease’s offerings, they often miss – this year, he was 95th percentile in that regard. Cease’s 29.8 K% ranked third among qualified starters this year, and he’s consistently ranked top ten in the game in strikeout rate.”
Cease was the American League Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022. He is extremely durable, making at least 30 starts every year since 2021. He is projected to sign a seven-year, $184 million deal this offseason.
Cease certainly fits the bill as a player who can pitch near the top of the Red Sox rotation. He has a 3.88 career ERA and great strikeout numbers. He led Major League Baseball in strikeouts per nine innings last season.
Story continues below advertisement
The only knock on Cease’s game might be the walks. He led the league in walks in 2022 and led the American League in walks during the 2020 season. Last year, he issued 71 free passes.
“As alluring as Cease’s strikeouts and durability are to GMs, he’s always issued too many free passes,” MLB Trade Rumors wrote. “Cease walked nearly 10% of batters this year, third-worst among qualified starters. Nor is he trending in the right direction; Cease walked 11% of batters since June. If Cease has an off-year in terms of batting average on balls in play as he did this year with a .320 mark (perhaps somewhat due to the Padres’ defense), the result can be a whole lot of baserunners. Though he’s a flyball pitcher, Cease has generally been able to keep the ball in the yard.”
The Red Sox made the postseason last year, and adding a pitcher like Cease could be key in making a deep run. Cease and Crochet at the top of the rotation could dominate for years to come.
Story continues below advertisement
