Ranger Suárez Received Red Sox Endorsement From Ex-Boston Pitcher

A former Boston Red Sox pitcher may have helped them land a new starter.

Ranger Suárez signed a five-year, $130 million contract with the Red Sox last month. The 30-year-old credited a 2025 addition for talking up the organization.

Suárez said Walker Buehler endorsed the Red Sox’s clubhouse chemistry and called Boston a “good place” to play, per the Boston Herald’s Gabrielle Starr.

Of course, the Red Sox will hope Suárez pans out better than Buehler. Boston took a $21.05 million gamble on the former Los Angeles Dodgers ace after winning a World Series in his return from Tommy John surgery, but the right-hander didn’t rediscover his All-Star form in 2025.

Buehler posted a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts before getting pulled from the rotation. The Red Sox released him after one bullpen appearance.

Perhaps parting ways with Buehler contributed to Boston finding a replacement this winter. Buehler finished the season as Suárez’s teammate on the Philadelphia Phillies, where he allowed one earned run in 13 2/3 innings.

His Red Sox tenure may not have gone according to plan, but Buehler doesn’t appear to harbor any resentment toward them. While the 31-year-old remains unsigned, Suárez joins Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and Johan Oviedo in a revamped and lethal rotation.

Suárez has yet to reach 160 innings pitched in a season, but the southpaw boasts a 3.38 career ERA and 52.0 percent ground-ball rate.