As it stands, the Red Sox have one open spot in their starting rotation with three players eyeing the chance to make it theirs.

Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and Josh Winckowski — who all started in some capacity for Boston last season — are the three on the outside looking in with Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford being locks.

Even with names like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery still on the market, and the Red Sox in need of pitching, it’s been a question whether they’ll try to sign one of the two. Boston’s chief baseball officer Craig Breslow joined the “Fenway Rundown” podcast and discussed the starting rotation. Specifically, Breslow addressed where he sees his starting five.

“I think where we are, in terms of starting pitching, is we feel good about the combination of guys who took a step forward last year, with Giolito and the 175 innings he’s provided over the last five years, plus a fairly deep competition for rotation spots among guys who have been successful major league pitchers, but maybe not successful major league starters,” Breslow told MassLive Red Sox reporters Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam. “So, I think with the certainty of being built out as starters, coming into spring training to prepare to take on the bulk of starting, I think we’ve given guys like Whitlock, Houck, Winckowski every chance to be successful as starting pitchers.”

Both Whitlock and Houck suffered injuries in 2023. Houck was hit in the face with a comebacker that resulted in a facial fracture, while Whitlock dealt with elbow inflammation during different parts of the 2023 season. Once he returned from the injured list, the Red Sox opted to put him into the bullpen instead of inserting Whitlock back into the starting rotation.

Both pitchers have had success out of the bullpen, though. As has Winckowski. They’ve each shown an ability to start and pitch in relief. But Winckowski was a workhorse out of the ‘pen, tossing 83 ⅓ innings last season.

When it comes to Boston’s pitching prospects, Breslow admitted the position players are ahead of pitchers and that the “pitching development is lacking.” Bello looks like he could develop into an ace or a strong No. 2 option. Bryan Mata looked as if he was going to be a starter, but Breslow revealed last month that it’s likely he’ll transition to a bullpen role.

The Red Sox had a similar issue last season when they used several pitchers in a starting role due to lack of depth. While signing someone like Snell or Montgomery would certainly help fill a void, Breslow said he wants to build a roster that’s competing for World Series titles “year after year,” not just for one year.

“There’s still plenty of offseason left,” Breslow said. “I don’t believe it makes a ton of sense to sacrifice future wins in favor of exclusively 2024 wins. What we’re looking for is the opportunity to improve the short-term outlook while building around the core group of position players so we’re not playing for a World Series for one year.”

Pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers next month, so it will be interesting to see what — if any — moves the Red Sox make to help their rotation between now and then.