Red Sox preparing to have high-leverage reliever stretch out as an option for the rotation in 2024
The Red Sox are expected to add starters to the rotation this offseason through free agency or trades. Boston will also continue to have their younger pitchers stretch out for a heavier workload.
While speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Alex Cora said the club will have Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck stretch out and also highlighted Josh Winckowski as another option to compete for a spot in the rotation.
“(Winckowski is) somebody that towards the end of the season I viewed more as a reliever than a starter, but with the information provided and the new group, there’s a new vision with him,” Cora said to reporters. “I’m not saying he’s going to be a starter but he’s a guy that can go multiple innings with his stuff and the characteristics of his pitches against lefties and righties. So stretch everybody out, that’s what they’re working at and we’ll see what happens in the upcoming weeks and months.”
Winckowski has seen the majority of his success as a relief option for the Red Sox. Last season he appeared in 60 games, posting a 2.88 ERA over 84.1 frames.
Despite his overall success, the righty allowed too many baserunners to reach. He appeared in 60 games, which the most out of any reliever outside Brennan Bernardino (55) and Martin (55).
Winckowski mostly started as a rookie back in 2022. He posted a 5.89 ERA in 15 outings (14 starts).
Boston will have the right-hander prepare as a starter but aren’t committed to using him every fifth day out of the rotation.
New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow quickly identified Winckowski as someone with potential and the ability to become a successful starter at the big league level. It appears the Red Sox will give him the opportunity to compete in spring training.
“Someone who can get both righties and lefties out, someone who can maintain their stuff deeper into a game, (throws) enough strikes that they can work efficiently to get deep into the game and we see all of those with Winck,” Breslow said. “Now that we’ve started to build up the pitching infrastructure around our guys and have had a chance for Andrew Bailey and Justin Willard to get a look as well, they see some opportunities for optimization and it feels like it makes sense to give that some runway and build him out with an eye on starting.”
Cora mentioned to reporters at the end of last season that Winckowski is someone he could see as a successful starter in the bigs.
“This guy (Josh Winckowski) can be a starter in the big leagues but then we have to decide what we do," Cora told MassLive's Christopher Smith in Baltimore at the end of the 2023 season.
"I’m not saying that’s the route we’re going to go," Cora said. "He can do both. But he was really good over there (in the bullpen) between him, Kenley (Jansen) and Marty (Chris Martin). They gave us three quality arms whenever we had the lead or in close games. He did an outstanding job.”
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