Boston, MA
Two Ex-Red Sox Are Suddenly Thriving Again After Leaving Boston
One thing that is fortunate about the 2026 Boston Red Sox is the fact that they have good starting pitching. Because if they didn’t, there would be even more negative noise around the organziation.
Boston’s rotation currently has Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez and No. 6 prospect Jake Bennett. Boston is missing Garrett Crochet right now and there’s no way to know when he will be able to get back into the mix for the club right now. The only thing that is clear is the fact that Crochet noted that it would be a surprise if he’s back before the All-Star break.
Still, even without Crochet, this is a very good rotation we’re talking about. The Red Sox have taken some heat all season to this point, especially about the club’s struggling offense. If the pitching was bad as well, Red Sox fans would revolt. This is especially the case because two polarizing former Red Sox hurlers are thriving elsewhere: Dustin May with the St. Louis Cardinals and Walker Buehler with the San Diego Padres.
Walker Buehler — San Diego Padres
Buehler was signed as a free agent before the 2025 season to be a finishing touch on what was supposed to be an elite rotation. It was supposed to be Crochet, Buehler, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and then one of their in-house options for the last spot.
Injuries derailed the season for the rotation and it didn’t help that Buehler struggled in a Boston uniform. He made 23 appearances with Boston, including 22 starts, and had a 5.45 ERA before the Red Sox opted to cut ties and move on. This past offseason, he landed with the Padres on a minor league deal and has turned his career around. So far this season, he has a 4.14 ERA in 14 starts in a Padres uniform. On top of this, he has a 2.92 ERA over his last seven starts.
Dustin May — St. Louis Cardinals
May was an even more polarizing option for the Red Sox. Boston traded outfield prospect James Tibbs III (Boston’s then-No. 5 prospect) and fellow outfield prospect Zach Ehrhard (Boston’s then-No. 27 prospect) in exchange for May. He had a 4.85 ERA at the time in 19 appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and yet the Red Sox opted to give up that haul. Then, May pitched in just six games in Boston and had a 5.40 ERA.
May signed with the Cardinals in free agency and now has a 3.75 ERA in 14 starts after a pitching a complete game shutout on Monday night against the Padres.
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