The Boston Red Sox still have plenty of roster decisions to make before their first game of the 2025 season on March 27. Late on March 21, Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced a big one.
Richard Fitts will be the Red Sox’s No. 4, occupying Brayan Bello’s usual spot in the rotation, first reported by Christopher Smith of MassLive. Bello will begin the season on the injured list, as he’s been healing shoulder soreness all spring training. Fitts was previously named as a contender for the job, alongside fellow depth starters Quinn Priester and Sean Newcomb.
Fitts’ spot in the rotation is well deserved after he posted a stellar spring training with the Sox. He’s clocked a 2.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts and six walks in 14.2 innings of work in the Grapefruit League. The young righty made his major league debut with Boston last season and fared just as well with a 1.74 ERA over 20.2 innings across four starts.
Lucas Giolito will also begin the 2025 season on the IL. Just before his hamstring tightened up in his first spring training start, Cora announced that Giolito would start the Sox’s fifth game of the season in Baltimore. The fifth rotation spot remains up for grabs with Priester and Newcomb in the mix.
Richard Fitts named Red Sox No. 4 starter, Garrett Crochet extension unlikely before Opening Day deadline
Cora says Fitts will be the No. 4 starter. Priester and Newcomb remain the two candidates for No. 5.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 22, 2025
Some unfortunate pitching news also dropped on March 21. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet tossed yet another scoreless Grapefruit League outing against the Pirates, furthering the case for an extension from Boston. But according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, it’s unlikely a deal gets done before Opening Day.
The Red Sox in December acquired Crochet from the White Sox in exchange for four top prospects. Despite Juan Soto’s record-breaking contract with the Mets, the trade was one of the biggest deals of the offseason, as Crochet was highly coveted at the trade deadline last season.
Boston must sign Crochet to an extension to make such a trade worth it. The lefty said last season that he’d be willing to sign an extension wherever he went, but he set a deadline of Opening Day for all negotiations to be completed or paused. Cotillo reports a sizable gap between Crochet’s asking price and the Red Sox’s offer, but his source did not share how far apart they are.
Crochet, a former reliever, posted a great first season as a starter with Chicago last year and he’s carried the success into spring training. He clocked a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts over 146 innings with the Southsiders last season and he’s posted 30 strikeouts while surrendering just one run over 15.2 Grapefruit League innings. He’s only under team control for two more years and his value is sure to rise in 2025.
