Former SF Giants lefty ace Blake Snell did not sign until the end of March last offseason. He is hoping to avoid that same fate this time around as he is reportedly talking with the Boston Red Sox according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Boston Red Sox reportedly talking to former SF Giants lefty ace according to MLB insider
Passan told the Baseball Bar-B-Cast that the Red Sox look poised to land a starter this winter. Snell is on that list as well as former Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried. The MLB insider surmises that Boston has put together an impressive farm system headlined by Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Kyle Teel.
Those four prospects are among the game's best with Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell all ranking among the top-10 according to MLB Pipeline. For a team that finished in third place in a competitive AL East with 81 wins, they look like their fortunes could turn around quickly.
With that being said, they could still use some help on the pitching side. The farm system may not produce much help in the near future and the major league rotation is led by Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck. Both are solid pitchers, but they could use some help.
This is where either Blake Snell or Max Fried come into play. Snell is coming off of a solid 2024 campaign in what could be his only season with San Francisco. His year did get off to a slow start as he battled injuries and ineffectiveness.
However, he was arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball in the second half of the year. Overall, he tallied a 3.12 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 12.5 K/9, and a 3.30 SO/W rate in 104 innings with the Giants. The lefty ace's market will undoubtedly be aided by the lack of a qualifying offer.
The Giants are unable to use that lever as the San Diego Padres issued Snell a qualifying offer that he rejected last offseason. That lever can only be used once and only once during a player's career.
On the other hand, Fried has a qualifying offer on the table that he will almost certainly reject in favor of free agency. The veteran pitcher is coming off of a year in which he registered a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts while earning his second NL All-Star nod. Across eight seasons, the 30-year-old pitcher has pitched to a 3.07 ERA with the Braves.
The Red Sox look like a good bet to land at least one of the top names on the market this offseason. Both Snell and Fried check that box.
This SF Giants trade idea would send fan favorite to the Boston Red Sox
This would be a fitting trade.
It has been reported that the SF Giants are open to trading their fan favorite outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. If they do, it would seem natural to trade him to the Boston Red Sox.
Mike Yastrzemski’s grandfather, Carl, was a legendary left fielder for Boston over the course of his illustrious career. The younger Yastrzemski has had to play in his grandfather’s shadow his entire career, but he has still carved himself out a role as a valuable big league player.
This SF Giants trade idea would send fan favorite to the Boston Red Sox
While Giants fans will still take umbrage with Yastrzemski’s inconsistency at the plate, he has still been a valuable player for the Giants if you take into account his entire game. Last season he hit decently slashing .231/.302/.437 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI in 428 at-bats. But he was nominated for a Gold Glove for his efforts in right field and has great instincts on the base paths. Yastrzemski is a player that does the small things right and plays the game hard which will not make him a superstar but it will make him a valuable member of any big league club.
If the Giants were to trade him, they would have to get a valuable piece in return. The Red Sox would make a good trading partner because they have some intriguing pitchers on their roster. One high risk high reward option would be Lucas Giolito.
The right-handed Giolito missed all of 2024 due to injury as he was recovering from elbow surgery. He does appear to be on track to be ready for Opening Day 2025 though.
He has had some solid years in the past with the Chicago White Sox where he was an All-Star in 2019. In his last full season in 2023, he had a good year going with the White Sox with a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts but after he got traded to the Los Angeles Angels he struggled mightily to the tune of a 6.89 ERA and was let go.
These are not the most inspiring numbers, but Giolito is still just 30 years old so he has time to turn things around in his career. A fresh start in San Francisco could give him that chance to get back to being the pitcher he once was.
Giving up Yastrzemski would hurt, but it may be necessary as the Giants try to bolster their pitching staff. Plus, it would give Yastrzemski a chance to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps in Boston.
