Red Sox dream Opening Day rotation after free agency: Three-headed monster is formed

The Boston Red Sox were exceeding expectations in the first half thanks in large part to a starting rotation which ranked seventh with a 3.63 ERA seemingly out of nowhere. The rotation was criticized at will over the offseason, but carried Boston to a 53-43 first-half record.

The second half was a disaster for the Red Sox though, as they went from being a team 10 games over .500 and in the thick of the postseason race to finishing the year at .500 exactly and missing the postseason. Their rotation went from ranking seventh to 14th, posting a 4.06 ERA in the second half. It wasn't awful, but the drop-off was steep and absolutely played a role in the team's demise down the stretch.

With how things finished, changes will be made in Beantown on the starting pitching front. Guys like Nick Pivetta (assuming he rejects his qualifying offer) and James Paxton are free agents and will need to be replaced. Lucas Giolito is set to return after missing the entire 2024 campaign due to injury. Giolito's return can't be the only "addition," though.

Craig Breslow has the assets and funds available to be aggressive in free agency and in the trade market to transform this rotation from an average one to one of the game's very best. If the Red Sox rotation looks anything close to this, fans will be all the way back in.

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Red Sox dream Opening Day rotation after free agency

Red Sox sign Corbin Burnes to replace Nick Pivetta in rotation

All rumors are indicating that the Red Sox are going to be serious now and spend like the big market team that they're supposed to be. Juan Soto is the dream target, but he's probably unlikely to come to Boston. If they miss out on Soto, Corbin Burnes is the next-best player available, and he'd be the perfect ace of this staff.

Burnes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a half-decade now and is coming off yet another great season, this time with the Baltimore Orioles. Burnes made 32 starts for Baltimore, posting a 2.92 ERA in 194.1 innings pitched. He wasn't named an AL Cy Young finalist, but could easily finish in fourth place for the award.

What makes Burnes worth giving a big contract to is his reliability. The right-hander has made at least 28 starts and thrown at least 167 innings in each of his last four seasons. He also has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in three of his last four seasons. He's as consistent and reliable as it gets, and the fact that he just dominated in his first season in the AL East proves Boston should be all-in.

Red Sox trade for Garrett Crochet to replace Kutter Crawford in rotation

As nice as it would be for the Red Sox to sign all of the top free agents and hold onto all of their prospects, that's not realistic. What is not out of the realm of possibility, though, is the Red Sox finding a way to sign Burnes, the best pitcher on the market, and trade for Garrett Crochet, the best available starter to acquire via trade. This would give Boston quite the one-two punch.

For much of the first half, Crochet went toe-to-toe with Tarik Skubal with how well he was pitching. His production teetered off a bit in the second half as his usage was limited, but his upside cannot be ignored. He's an ace when right, and at 25 years old with a couple of years of club control, it's a no-brainer that the Red Sox should be in on him, especially when they have more intriguing position player prospects than anyone.

A Crochet trade would not come cheap, and he doesn't come without injury risk but would give Boston one of the best No. 2 starters in the game if they were able to sign Burnes. Even if they don't land Burnes, Crochet would fit in nicely as an ace.

The Red Sox have the assets to get this done and not miss a beat. They can even include Kutter Crawford to close the deal. The fact that he's as young and as affordable as he is makes this a no-brainer. Get it done, Craig.

Red Sox sign Roki Sasaki to replace Cooper Criswell in rotation

The Red Sox, just like the 29 other MLB teams, will almost certainly express interest in signing Roki Sasaki. It isn't often that teams have the chance to sign a 23-year-old frontline starter to a minor league deal with nothing more than international bonus money. Sasaki is widely seen as comparable or better than Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who just inked the richest deal a pitcher has ever signed last offseason.

Admittedly, the Red Sox would not be the favorites in Sasaki talks, but did anyone expect the Los Angeles Angels to sign Shohei Ohtani? It isn't out of the realm of possibility that Sasaki ends up in Boston, helping form one of, if not the best three-headed monsters out there. Plus, with Tanner Houck as the No. 4 starter, this rotation would be really tough to beat in the postseason.

The one downside that comes with signing Sasaki is the team would likely have to resort to using a six-man rotation. Still, considering his age, how cheap he'll sign for, and his ridiculous upside, if the Red Sox can get him, they obviously will. It's unlikely, but worth dreaming about for sure.