A New Ranger in Beantown

The Red Sox finally dipped into this year’s free agent market with the addition of southpaw starter Ranger Suarez on a 5-year, $130 million deal ($26 million AAV). What can fans in Boston expect from their newest addition? 

The experience and effectiveness that Suarez brings to this Red Sox rotation are nearly unmatched. In 2025, the deceptive lefty pushed across a steady 3.20 ERA in 157.1 innings. His career ERA sits at 3.38, so he’s no newcomer to major-league success. He doesn’t blow hitters away, he doesn’t strike out the world, and he’s not much of an intimidating presence on the mound. What makes Suarez tick? How does he time and time again manage to fool baseball’s best bats? 

The art of pitching has lost a lot of its mojo in recent years. Before the velocity epidemic that’s seen a rise in recent years, pitching used to be about location, changing speeds, and limiting free bases. Suarez has a master's in each of those categories. The veteran lefty is DEATHLY afraid of barrels and pitched to a miniscule 5.5% barrel rate and held a hard hit rate at 31.1% (98th percentile). Suarez also stays away from the middle of the zone. Pitchers with electric stuff and triple-digits on the heater often struggle to find the zone and need to throw it down the middle to avoid walking people. In Suarez’s case, his pitches have the movement to start middle-middle and tail off to avoid bats, but he’s also mastered the art of deceptiveness. What does it truly mean to be deceptive as a pitcher? 

One of the left-handed magician's favorite tricks is his patented ability to start a pitch off the plate and land it on a corner. Suarez nibbles, but he does so effectively. His pitch-mix consists of a sinker (run value (RV) of 2), changeup (RV of 6), cutter (RV of 2), curveball (RV of 7), four-seamer (RV of -1), and a slider (RV of 1). It’s alien to have so many different pitches that hold a run value above zero. Suarez has enough tricks up his sleeve to give any big-league hitter fits under the brightest of lights. Speaking of the bright lights of The Show, how has the Sox's newest starter performed in the postseason? 

As a Phillie, Suarez owns a 1.48 career postseason ERA in 42.2 innings. That’s RIDICULOUS. He’s a modern October legend and has all the tools to contribute to a deep postseason run in Beantown. 

The Boston faithful should be ecstatic with their offseason to this point. Does it sting to lose Bregman? Yes, and it should. The additions of Sonny Gray (SP) and Willson Contreras (1B) via trade, coupled with their most recent splash in signing starting pitcher Ranger Suarez, have added up to a really nice offseason. Expect the Red Sox to stay active in the free agent and trade markets as they look to dethrone Canada in the AL East. 

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