Red Sox
Amid a revitalized offseason during which agents and insiders alike expect the Red Sox to spend big, Boston is reportedly in talks with two free agent aces.
When Jeff Passan, ESPN's top MLB insider, discussed the Red Sox' lack of in-house pitching development, he casually mentioned that Boston is “talking to” Blake Snell and Max Fried. Both are among the many top free agent armies this offseason.
“At this point, they have everything going for them except their ability to develop starting pitching at the big league level,” Passan said on the web site Baseball Bar-B Cast. “Brayan Bello is good. Kutter Crawford is a perfectly good big league starter. But they don't have a guy. And that’s why they talk to Blake Snell and that’s why they talk to Max Fried.”
Passan's assessment of Boston's pitching needs is fair and consistent with the view many individuals have of the Red Sox rotation. Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello are each very capable, and Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford would fit thoroughly at the top of the rotation. But adding a real ace to the fold would go a good distance toward turning things around in Boston.
Snell would also add one other element to the starting arms as a lefty pitcher. He won the second Cy Young Award of his profession in 2023 with the Padres and posted a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts with the Giants in 2024. Snell threw his first profession no-hitter on August 2nd.
Fried was linked to Boston before free agency even got here along and was a reputation to control for the Red Sox. His connection to Giolito – and Giolito's known desire to play alongside his highschool teammate again – created an obvious connection between the 2 teams.
Fried is coming off an All-Star season and finished 2024 with a 3.25 ERA. He also made 29 starts and pitched 174.1 innings, proving his arm can handle the strain of a full season.
Passan added that if Boston would fairly pursue Juan Soto as a substitute, they might further add to their rotation through a trade involving White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, one other name linked to Boston thus far this offseason .
Regardless of which path Boston takes to overhaul its roster, Passan concluded his monologue with some vital advice for the Red Sox front office.
“They have to be intelligent in how they do things because it’s not easy to get stars,” Passan said.
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