Red Sox Eyeing a Bullpen Overhaul - And They're Not Afraid to Get Creative
With Spring Training officially underway, the Boston Red Sox are already signaling that 2026 might look a little different-especially when it comes to how they manage their pitching staff. Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow made it clear this week: the team isn’t sticking to traditional roles in the bullpen. In fact, they’re ready to blur the lines between starters and relievers in a way that could reshape how the Red Sox approach pitching depth altogether.
Starters in the 'Pen? That’s the Plan
Breslow confirmed the team is open to using starting pitchers in relief roles-a move that speaks volumes about Boston’s pitching depth and their willingness to adapt. This isn’t just about plugging holes. It’s about leveraging a surplus of arms to build a more flexible, dynamic staff that can handle the grind of a long season.
And let’s be real: Boston’s got arms. The rotation is already shaping up with Garrett Crochet-who, in a surprise move, has been named the Opening Day starter-alongside Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, and Brayan Bello.
That’s a solid front four. But it doesn’t stop there.
Behind them, there’s a logjam of capable starters: Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Johan Oviedo, and a pair of intriguing young arms in Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, both of whom debuted last season. That’s a lot of starting-caliber pitching-and only five rotation spots to go around.
Crawford and Sandoval: Relief Options on the Table
The most immediate ripple effect could come from Crawford and Sandoval. Both are working their way back from season-ending surgeries in 2024 or 2025, and Breslow didn’t shy away from floating their names as potential bullpen options.
It’s not necessarily Plan A, but it’s a smart contingency. If either pitcher isn’t quite stretched out or ready to take on a full starter’s workload, easing them back in via the bullpen makes a lot of sense.
It’s a move that gives manager Alex Cora more weapons to play with late in games or in multi-inning bridge situations-especially if the team wants to avoid overtaxing the high-leverage relievers early in the season. And for a team that saw its bullpen get worn down at times last year, that kind of flexibility could be a game-changer.
A Philosophy Rooted in Depth and Development
This isn’t just a one-off idea either. It aligns with what we’ve heard from the Red Sox front office before.
Last offseason, they talked about using top prospect Luis Perales in a similar hybrid role-starter stuff, bullpen usage-if it helped the big-league club. The message is clear: Boston is prioritizing wins now, even if that means temporarily shifting a pitcher’s long-term development path.
That kind of thinking is especially valuable when you’re dealing with a roster full of capable arms. Rather than forcing a rigid five-man rotation and a traditional bullpen, Breslow is building a staff that can adjust on the fly-whether that’s due to injuries, performance, or simply the need to keep arms fresh over 162 games.
Why This Move Makes Sense
It’s not just about having too many pitchers-it’s about using them wisely. Breslow reportedly doesn’t see the bullpen as a weakness, particularly from the left side, and that confidence is part of why he’s not rushing to add more arms.
His logic? Why bring in another reliever when you’ve already got four or five starters who might not make the rotation?
Instead of letting them sit idle or stashing them in Triple-A, why not put them to work in the bullpen?
That approach allows the Red Sox to kill two birds with one stone. They can manage innings for guys coming off injuries, while also giving prospects like Tolle and Early more time to develop without being thrown into the fire too soon.
And if Crawford or Sandoval can give you two solid innings out of the bullpen every few days? That’s a win.
What to Watch This Spring
This strategy is going to be one of the key storylines to monitor throughout Spring Training and into April. How the Red Sox juggle their rotation depth, how they manage workloads, and how they evaluate these hybrid roles could all have a big impact on the early part of the season.
It’s a calculated risk, but one that shows Boston is willing to think creatively to get the most out of its roster. And if it works, it could give the Red Sox a unique edge-both in how they manage the dog days of summer and how they keep their pitching staff fresh for a potential postseason push.
Bottom line: Boston’s not just stockpiling arms-they’re finding new ways to use them. And that might be the most important development of all this spring.