The rotation upgrade is a known target for the Red Sox this winter, with trade targets and free agents like Garrett Crochet, Max Friedand old friend Nathan Eovaldi Reportedly on Boston's radar early in the offseason. Blake Snell is another prominent name also being considered, like ESPN's Jeff Passan (in a recent appearance). on the Baseball Bar-B-Cast) said the Sox were “talking to” the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
When he was a free agent last year, the Red Sox were relatively light on Snell's market Reports recommended The Sox had some level of interest in the left-handed hitter, other pitchers like it Aaron Nola And Jordan Montgomery were on Boston's wish list ahead of Snell. As it turned out, the Sox didn't get any of the top arms available on the market, even though Snell and Montgomery were both available deep into spring training and Montgomery didn't sign with the Diamondbacks until opening day.
At this point in the winter calendar, it's safe to assume that the Red Sox have several pitchers “involved” in one way or another, so it's no surprise that they turned to Snell purely for due diligence reasons. However, the two parties are of course a good fit, which is likely why Darragh McDonald and Anthony Franco of MLBTR predicted that Snell would actually sign with Boston as part of our website Top 50 Free Agent Predictions (Snell is fourth on our list and is expected to receive a five-year, $160 million contract.)
The Red Sox have largely refrained from making spectacular signings in recent years as the club has focused more on revitalizing the minor league system and finding valuable signings than truly asserting themselves aggressively. After three straight winless seasons, the fan base's patience is running thin and pressure is mounting on the Sox front office to make a big-budget signing as a clear sign that the club wants to win. Signing a top pitcher like Snell would certainly fall into that category and give the Sox the premier pitcher with the rotation they so desperately need.
Snell's extended stay in free agency ended last winter when he was traded to the Giants in mid-March, and the abbreviated preparation time for his spring training initially appeared to lead to a disastrous season. The left-hander's first three months in San Francisco resulted in two appearances on the injured list and a 9.51 ERA over six starts and 23 2/3 innings, and yet, as has often been the case in Snell's career, he continued to improve over the course of the season . The most extreme example of Snell's second-half surge to date was when he posted a phenomenal 1.23 ERA over his final 14 starts and 80 1/3 innings, once again establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Because of this, Snell opted to exercise the opt-out clause in his two-year, $62 million contract with San Francisco, forgoing the $30 million he was owed in 2025 in favor of pursuing a more expensive long-term commitment.
That's not to say that some of the questions that clouded the Snell market last winter have completely disappeared. He was once again hampered by injuries and is now another year old as he turns 32 in December. However, a key difference between Snell's free agent status last year and this year is that his services no longer have a qualifying offer attached. Snell declined the Giants' qualifying offer last winter, and since a player can only be QO'd once in his career, a team is free to sign Snell without forgoing any compensation.
Boston would have to give up $500,000 in international bonus pool money as well as its second-highest pick in next year's draft to sign a qualified free agent. It can be argued that Snell's lack of QO status poses a bigger problem for luxury taxpayers because of the issue they face a harsher punishment for signing one of them the 13 free agents For those who received qualifying offers this offseason, a pitcher like Snell could be more attractive than a qualified pitcher like Fried or Corbin Burnes.
Still, the Red Sox would certainly like to avoid losing a draft pick if they could help it, and the Sox might also consider Snell And a qualified free agent. The Sox, for example, are interested Juan Soto And Teoscar Hernandez in the position player class, in addition to their pursuit of rotational help. Nick Pivetta Also seems likely declining Boston's qualifying offer, so the Sox would receive a compensatory pick if Pivetta signed elsewhere.