The Red Sox need to improve their starting pitching this offseason, and one of the more appealing options recently was plucked off the open market.
Despite reported conversations with Boston and other clubs, Blake Snell decided to take his talents to Los Angeles. The Dodgers on Saturday officially announced their pact with the two-time Cy Young Award winner, which has a total value of $182 million over five years.
With Snell out of the picture, Corin Burnes and Max Fried undoubtedly are the Red Sox’s best options for starters on the open market. Fried probably is the more likely of the two to end up in Boston, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on Sunday projected what a new contract could look like for the star southpaw.
“His 139 ERA-plus is eighth best all-time,” Heyman wrote. “The Yankees, Red Sox, Jays, Orioles, Mets, Cubs, Giants and his hometown Dodgers are probable players. Red Sox need a lefty. $166M, 6 years.”
Fried turns 31 in mid-January, so a six-year investment in the two-time All-Star wouldn’t be very reckless. The 2021 World Series champion also has proven to be pretty durable, logging 131 starts over his last five full seasons (not including the shortened 2020 campaign).
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Red Sox brass has made it clear the club is willing to spend big to land high-end talent. The potential challenge for Craig Breslow and company will be convincing Fried that his best opportunity resides in Boston.
