Red Sox First Club Mentioned As Destination For Reigning Cy Young Winner
Will the Boston Red Sox surprise their fanbase by signing the top free-agent pitcher on the market?
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow appears to be as, if not more hesitant to make a big move in free agency as his predecessor and ownership’s lack of financial commitment has not helped matters.
With that said, the Red Sox are feeling the heat from the fans and at least one national media member still expects Boston to make a splash.
“I’m not going to be shocked if it’s a surprise team late for (Blake) Snell,” the New York Post’s Jon Heyman said Wednesday on a Bleacher Report live stream. “The other teams I could see, I’m going to say Boston, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels — those are teams that could be in the mix for Snell in the near term.”
Snell went 14-9 with a league-leading 2.25 ERA, 234-to-99 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .181 batting average against and 1.19 WHIP in 180 innings across 32 starts for the San Diego Padres last season.
The 30-year-old led Major League Baseball with a 182 ERA+ and only 5.8 hits per nine innings, but his 99 walks were the most in the league, forcing him into trouble often. He took a unique path to greatness, one that might not be sustainable.
Snell also is not the most reliable starter in terms of availability, which was a huge issue for the Red Sox in 2023. He’s averaged 142 innings per 162-game season — discounting his rookie year and the shortened 2020 season.
While all of that is true, the Red Sox desperately need to boost their rotation. Jordan Montgomery makes the most sense but nobody should be complaining if the reigning National League Cy Young winner is Boston’s Opening Day starter.
Fans have no reason to believe that ownership would invest in an impactful free agent this winter but national media has yet to rule out Boston from making a splash.
