Red Sox Veteran Addition Has High Praise For New Teammates

The Boston Red Sox made some veteran additions to bolster their rotation in Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez. Gray, 36, is entering his 14th major league season and threw his first live batting practice of 2026 Spring Training on Thursday.

Red Sox starter Brayan Bello also threw on Thursday and is looking to improve following an up-and-down 2025 campaign. Bello registered a 3.35 ERA over 166 2/3 innings, but struggled down the stretch. He was pulled after just 2 1/3 innings against the New York Yankees in the Wild Card series in his final appearance of 2025.

Despite being with the team for just a few days, Gray is already expecting big things from the other members of the pitching staff. Bello, in particular, started throwing a new curveball that Gray thought looked sharp.

“Today, watching [Bello] live, one of the first times I’ve gotten to watch from behind and see what he does, he’s gross,” Gray said.

Bello wasn’t the only pitcher Gray came away impressed with in the first few days of camp. Garrett Crochet threw live batting practice on Wednesday and is set to start opening day for the Red Sox. Gray couldn’t come up with a like-for-like comparison, but said he reminds him of several of the superstars he’s played with.

“I don’t think there’s a ceiling for [Crochet]. He can be, and has been, the best pitcher in baseball,” Gray said.

Crochet, Suarez and Gray will lead the Red Sox pitching staff this season. Bello will likely slot in fourth or fifth, along with one of Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford, Payton Tolle or Connelly Early. Boston has used their starting pitching depth in trades this offseason, but still has several major league-caliber pitchers to choose from.