The Boston Red Sox were reportedly very disappointed that they were unable to bring back third baseman Alex Bregman of Albuquerque, New Mexico in the offseason. Bregman signed a five-year deal worth $175 million with the Chicago Cubs instead on Saturday. The Red Sox focused their energy on another free agent this week, and came to terms with starting pitcher Ranger Suarez of Pie de Cuesta, Venezuela, who signed a five-year contract worth $130 million.
Suarez has pitched eight Major League Baseball seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a National League All-Star in 2024.
In 2025, Suarez had a record of 12 wins and eight losses with an earned run average of 3.20. During 26 games and 157 1/3 innings pitched, Suarez gave up 154 hits, 56 earned runs, 14 home runs and 38 walks. Suarez had 151 strikeouts, 17 quality starts and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.22.
It was a rough opener to the season for Suarez, who missed the first month with lower back stiffness. He gave up seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings to the Arizona Diamondbacks in his season debut on May 4. However the next 10 starts were all quality starts, and Suarez saw his earned run average drop from 17.18 to 2.00. Suarez became an integral part of the Phillies starting rotation and it was a major surprise he was not a National League All-Star for the second straight year.
In Boston, Suarez is one of three new Red Sox starting pitchers in the Boston starting rotation. He is joined by Johan Oviedo of La Habana, Cuba and Sonny Gray of Smyrna, Tennessee. Oviedo came to Boston in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Gray came to Boston in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.
