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By Shaun McAvoy
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Boston Red Sox did a complete overhaul of their starting rotation this offseason, and now boast one of the strongest units in the league.
The Red Sox addressed nearly every one of the team's biggest needs this offseason, including bringing in another star pitcher to pair with Garrett Crochet. Boston went above and beyond, trading for Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo before signing Ranger Suárez. The team also managed to retain Connelly Early and Payton Tolle.
With their abundance of solid starting pitchers, the Red Sox's No. 5 spot in their starting rotation is still up for grabs, despite trading the Pittsburgh Pirates for Oviedo earlier this offseason, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo.
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"When the Sox acquired right-hander Johan Oviedo from the Pirates in an early December trade, he seemed to be a lock for the back end of the Opening Day rotation," Cotillo wrote Thursday. "Weeks later, the pivot to Ranger Suárez pushed everyone back a spot in the rotation mix, leaving one true opening behind Garrett Crochet, Suárez, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello. So is the job Oviedo’s to lose? Not so fast.
"In the spirit of competition, the Red Sox currently view the No. 5 spot in their rotation as a true opening, sources said this week, with Oviedo, returnees Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval and rookie lefties Connelly Early and Payton Tolle all in the mix to break camp with the team at the end of March. While the Red Sox remain very intrigued with Oviedo’s upside and like what they’ve seen so far from him in camp, they aren’t promising anything to the soon-to-be 28-year-old."
Oviedo missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but returned to the field last August. The 27-year-old posted a 3.57 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings pitched last season, and though Boston's final rotation spot is still technically up for grabs, it would be surprising if Oviedo was left out of the starting rotation.
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