How Red Sox Will Decide No. 5 Starter Competition, Per Craig Breslow

Four of the Boston Red Sox's rotation spots are locked up, barring injury, which is putting a lot of focus on the No. 5 slot.

On Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the Red Sox saw that No. 5 job as an open competition, calling it the most intriguing battle that was going on in camp. But while Cotillo's report alerted many to the fact that the job might not be newcomer Johan Oviedo's to lose, it wasn't exactly new information.

In fact, during his media call last Friday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had already spelled out exactly what the Red Sox were chasing from that No. 5 starter competition.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Craig Breslow says Red Sox might "chase some upside"

Aug 25, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Johan Oviedo (24) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Breslow was responding to a question from Monster Territory's Robbie Hyde, who reposted the exchange on X on Thursday evening in the wake of Cotillo's report.

pic.twitter.com/VjcMFah2SQ
— Robbie Hyde (@gingersnaphyde) February 20, 2026

"There's going to be competition for that fifth spot," Breslow told Hyde. "We got a glimpse of what Connelly Early and Payton Tolle are capable of doing, but also guys who have been very good major league starters and are getting healthy in Kutter and Sandy. ... And then Oviedo, a guy that we're really excited about.

"What we'll be looking for is some level of consistency, but also, that's a chance to chase some upside, just given those first four guys are going to keep us in games (and) give us a chance to win, knowing that we do have some options for that fifth spot, let's go ahead and get the guy that, if we realize the best outcomes there, has a chance to shut down an offense."

The idea of "chasing upside" still doesn't leave us with an obvious answer by any means. Long-term, it's the two rookies that have the most upside, because there's no telling what your ceiling might be while you're still developing. But present upside, strictly in terms of how much production one might give the team this season, would seem to favor someone like Oviedo.

It's awfully hard to sort this all out before any spring training games have been played. Fortunately, we'll see most of these arms in Grapefruit League action within the next week or so.

More MLB: Red Sox Skipper Hints Pirates Trade Piece Could Soon Become Star