(Ninth in a series examining the Red Sox roster for 2017.)

That the Red Sox will arrive at spring training with three eminently qualified candidates to start on Opening Day speaks to the quality and depth of their rotation.

For the first time since 2013, starting pitching should be one of the team’s primary strengths, given the presence of Rick Porcello, David Price, and Chris Sale.

Porcello was 22-4 with a 3.15 earned run average last season and won the American League Cy Young Award. The last Red Sox pitcher to take home that prestigious trophy was Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in 2000.

It’s unrealistic to expect Porcello to repeat that level of achievement in 2017. But the 28-year-old righthander is 26-8 with a 3.15 ERA in 41 starts dating to his activation off the disabled list in 2015, so it’s reasonable to believe that he has hit upon a formula for sustained success.

Price was 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA over 35 starts last season and struck out 228. Some viewed that as a poor season given the lofty expectations that accompanied his seven-year, $217 million contract.

Price allowed a 1.20 WHIP, his highest over a full season. So were the 30 home runs he allowed. But he showed improvement in the second half, allowing three or fewer earned runs in 10 of his final 12 starts and helping drive the Sox into the playoffs.

Now that he has experienced Boston, Price should have a smoother second season.

Sale, obtained in a December trade for four prospects, was 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA for a White Sox team that finished in fourth place in the AL Central. His presence should be helpful to both and Price and Porcello.

Sale is eager to pitch in the postseason for the first time in his career.

“That’s what excited me about the trade,’’ he said. “We have a legitimate chance to get in the World Series with the team we have.’’

Only 15 starters in the majors reached 200 innings last season. Price (230), Sale (226⅔), and Porcello (223) were three of them. That kind of reliability has tremendous value and keeps the bullpen from wearing down.

Regardless of who starts on Opening Day, the goal for the Sox will be to get approximately 100 starts and 660 innings from their Big Three.

How the rotation breaks down beyond that will be one of the focal points of spring training.

In Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright, the Red Sox have two players who were All-Stars last season. But Wright, 32, ended the season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Pomeranz, 28, avoided the disabled list but did sit out eight days near the end of the season with forearm discomfort.

Wright has yet to get through an entire season as a starter. Pomeranz did that for the first time last season.

Lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez, 23, is 13-13 with a 4.25 ERA in two seasons with the Sox. He was demoted to Triple A Pawtucket in late June but returned in July and had a 3.24 ERA over 14 starts.

Wright, because he is righthanded and throws a knuckleball, would bring a contrasting style to the rotation. But the Red Sox traded a valuable prospect, righthander Anderson Espinoza, to get Pomeranz in July; that could work in his favor.

Rodriguez may be the most talented of the trio and almost certainly offers the most upside.

“Wright didn’t pitch past much of the second half,’’ president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “Pomeranz, we like a great deal. Rodriguez, we think is a quality young guy that is going to pitch at the big league level.

“We’ll just sort of sort through that as we go through it.’’

Rodriguez is slated to pitch for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic in March. That could be beneficial, given his history.

Rodriguez has pitched in only two spring training games the last two seasons because of injuries. Getting an early start — he is already pitching in the Venezuela Winter League — might be good for him.

Dombrowski has said several times that the Red Sox have ample starting depth in lefthanders Roenis Elias, Brian Johnson, and Henry Owens. He speaks of all three being able to fill in, if needed. But there appears to be little justification for that confidence, and the Sox could regret trading Clay Buchholz to the Phillies.

Elias appeared in three games last season and allowed 11 earned runs on 15 hits and five walks in 7⅔ innings. He did have a 3.60 ERA in 21 games for Triple A Pawtucket.

Owens, a supplemental first-round draft choice in 2011, is 4-6 with a 5.19 ERA in 16 major league starts with 71 strikeouts and 44 walks. He averaged 5.3 walks per nine innings in 24 starts for Pawtucket last season.

Owens’s casual approach to throwing strikes does not portend success in the majors.

Johnson was a supplemental first-round pick in 2012 and at age 26 has appeared in one major league game. He was treated for anxiety last season and pitched only 95 innings as a result.

Elias was in Seattle’s rotation from 2014-15, making 49 starts. He represents legitimate depth, more so than Johnson and Owens.

The Sox would be wise to sign a veteran to a minor league deal before spring training. Otherwise they risk being in a position where they’re scrambling for a starter on the trade market if injuries strike.

STARTING PITCHERS

Primary 2016 starters: LHP David Price, RHP Rick Porcello, RHP Steven Wright, RHP Clay Buchholz, LHP Drew Pomeranz.

Expected 2017 starters: Price, Porcello, LHP Chris Sale, LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, Pomeranz.

Major league depth: Wright.

Prospects to watch: LHP Roenis Elias, LHP Brian Johnson, LHP Henry Owens.

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.