The Boston Red Sox need to add to the starting rotation.

This is a statement you’re going to see a lot of and one that won’t go away.

Boston However, its position is currently much better than it was a year ago. The Red Sox have fewer questions in the starting rotation. Tanner Houck took a big step forward and became an All-Star. Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford have had inconsistent campaigns in 2024, but there have been more good ones than bad. Lucas Giolito is widely expected to play a prominent role with the team in 2025 after missing the 2024 season due to injury.

The Red Sox now just need one more pitcher. Boston needs to add a left-handed starter, and there will be a few options. There will be options like Blake Snell and Max Fried. Either one would be fantastic, but would be very expensive.

There will also be cheap options. A player who floated Cleveland Guardians starter Matthew Boyd, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic, is a good fit for Boston on a projected $10 million, one-year deal.

“Matthew Boyd really increased his value in the postseason as he posted a 0.77 ERA over three starts (11 2/3 innings),” Bowden said. “With a deceptive delivery and an arsenal including a fastball, changeup and slider, Boyd controls the strike zone well, adding and subtracting with unique shapes and sizes. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2023 but now appears healthy and in good spirits. Best team: (Cleveland Guardians), Tigers, (Baltimore Orioles), (San Diego Padres), (Atlanta Braves), Red Sox… Contract prediction: 1 year, $10 million »

Boyd is 33 years old and had a 2.72 ERA in eight regular season starts. It’s not a large sample size, but if the Red Sox were to miss out on Fried or Snell, a deal might make sense.

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