FORT MYERS, Fla. – Spring training games begin Friday, and by weekend’s end fans will get their first look at one of the biggest pitching acquisitions in recent Red Sox history.

Alex Cora announced Wednesday that Brian Van Belle will start the Friday exhibition game at home against Northeastern University (1:05 p.m.), with Quinn Priester going on Saturday when the Red Sox travel to Port Charlotte to face the Tampa Bay Rays (1:05 p.m.).

Left-hander Garrett Crochet has the ball on Sunday, for the first spring home game. Crochet, acquired from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for a sizable prospect bundle that included ’23 and ’24 first-round picks Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, will go up against the Toronto Blue Jays. Crochet is coming off an All-Star season in which he posted a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts, with 209 strikeouts and just 33 walks in 146 innings.

Van Belle, 28, is a non-roster invitee. He’s been with the organization since ’21, and was promoted to Triple-A Worcester during the ’23 season. He spent the entire ’24 season with the WooSox, posting a 4.71 ERA over 30 games, including nine starts and six games finished.

The Red Sox acquired Priester, 24, from the Pirates at last summer’s trade deadline. Pittsburgh’s first round pick (18th overall) in ’19, Priester spent the entire rest of the season in Triple-A before getting called up to start for Boston on the final day of the season.

A DAY after first baseman Triston Casas caused a bit of a stir in camp with his strong opinions about how Boston’s roster should come together before Opening Day, manager Alex Cora said he took little issue with one of his players expressing his thoughts so publicly.

“People sit here and we don’t put limits on them,” Cora said. “He said what he said, but at the end of the day, we’re in the winning business. From my end, we’re going to make decisions based on competition, roster flexibility and versatility. We’re going to take our best 26 guys to Texas.”

Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Casas said he sided with Rafael Devers, who wants to stay at third base after the signing of Alex Bregman, and then said Bregman should start at second base. Casas then said he didn’t think any of the organization’s top three prospects — Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer — should be on the Opening Day roster next month, citing the fact the Red Sox had veterans who should seize each spot.

“No,” Casas said. “I think we’ve got some grown men up there right now that need to iron some things out. We need to show up and see what that first little taste of us altogether looks like. I think their time is going to come. And it could be earlier rather than later. But I think for right now the roster is beautiful. It’s organized great. And it’s structured really well.”

Casas is rarely shy about how he feels and is expected to be a major focus of the Netflix documentary, “The Clubhouse,” which followed the 2024 Red Sox with unprecedented access and will debut in April. While his comments from Tuesday likely caused some in the Sox’s clubhouse to shake their heads, Cora said that he thinks opinionated players are just part of the modern game.

“I probably played with guys who were very thoughtful in what they wanted to say and their opinions,“ Cora said. ”I don’t know. I played with Curt (Schilling). He was very thoughtful and said his thing. People will express what they feel. Some people are going to agree. Some people aren’t going to agree. Some people are gonna like it. Others aren’t gonna like it. At the end, we like the first baseman. He’s gonna play and he’s gonna hit.”

GARRETT CROCHET is the ace of the staff after spending his first five MLB seasons with the Chicago White Sox.

The left-hander has just one major league season as a starter under his belt, but there’s plenty to be excited about and Crochet has a lot of upside and potential.

Once-ace of the Red Sox Chris Sale — who was traded by the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season — told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast that he doesn’t think he needs to tell him much, but did have one piece of advice for the 25-year-old.

“You know how it goes with Boston. There is a lot of riff-raff with outside noise,” Sale said. “I would probably tell him to do his best to block that out. Based on what I’ve learned, whether you’re doing really good, or doing really bad, the job is the same. He’s in a position to man that staff and to be able to handle all the pressure that comes with who he is, where he is at and what he needs to do there.”

Crochet already doesn’t pay much attention to what’s being said. Manager Alex Cora compared him to Sale — but stronger — and Crochet said he learned of that information from his wife.

“I’m just trying to make a name for myself,” Crochet said earlier this month in Fort Myers.

The Red Sox go into the 2025 season with a revamped rotation with Crochet, Lucas Giolito and Walker Buehler. Sale has only met Crochet once, but he believes Red Sox fans have a lot to be excited about when it comes to their new ace.

“He’s a stud,” Sale told Bradford. “What he showed he could do last year as a building block to further that this year, they should be excited. I have heard nothing but good things and what he does on the field is nothing short of amazing. He should be all right.”