Red Sox insider names sleeper pick in Boston's rotation ft. Walker Buehler, Garret Crochet, Lucas Giolito

The Boston Red Sox will aim to end their postseason drought this year after going three seasons without a playoff appearance. Boston made several additions in the offseason to aid their goal, especially to the starting rotation.

All-Star starters Walker Buehler and Garret Crochet joined the Red Sox in the offseason, providing the team with significant depth of starting pitchers. However, Boston's depth will be tested at the start of the season as Kutter Crawford is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster due to soreness in his right knee.

Bryan Bello is another Red Sox starter with an injury concern as the right-handed pitcher is reportedly dealing with a shoulder inflammation he sustained in Spring Training.

With Kutter and Bello unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, the Red Sox will have a projected rotation of Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler and a returning Lucas Giolito who missed the entire 2024 season.

Red Sox insider Rob Bradford reflected on Boston's potential starting rotation, naming his sleeper pick on "The Bret Boone Podcast."

"The name that we haven't even mentioned is Tanner Houck," Bradford said (5:17 onwards). "Tanner Houck is an All-Star and Tanner, in a lot of rotations, would be a number one, so I think Craig Breslow gets a lot of credit because he's built this into a strength of the team and let's be honest, if you want to compete, you have to do this."

Tanner Houck is likely to start behind All-Star ace Garret Crochet, who was traded to the Red Sox by the Chicago White Sox in December in exchange for four prospects.

Garret Crochet fans four in first start for Red Sox

Garrett Crochet was among the players to make his first appearance for the Red Sox during Sunday's Grapefruit League against the Toronto Blue Jays. Crochet went 1.2 innings, striking out four and allowing a walk in his first game of Spring Training.

“Just having some good fan turnout helped a lot,” Crochet said. “That's probably the most people I've thrown in front of in Spring Training so it's cool to kind of get the juices going early.”

Crochet's Red Sox teammate Alex Bregman also made his first bow for the team on Sunday and the All-Star infielder, who went deep in his second at-bat, praised the Boston ace's outing.

“[He] looked great,” Bregman said of Crochet. “Punched out the side in the first. His stuff is electric. Just in facing him over the past few years, he’s been fun to watch and difficult to face. Glad I’m on his team.”

Following Garret Crochet's start, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler are expected to take the mound for the Red Sox in the upcoming Grapefruit League games.