“The Red Sox, everything is in place for them at this point except their ability to develop starting pitchers at the big league level.” » said Passan. “They don’t have a guy. That’s why they’re talking to Blake Snell and that’s why they’re talking to Max Fried.”

Passan also noted that the current free agent market is focused on outfielder Juan Soto and that the Red Sox could potentially pursue White Sox starter Garrett Crochet on the trade market.

Either way, the Red Sox are clearly looking for left-handed pitchers. It’s easy to see why, since the 2024 team featured mostly right-handed starters, with veteran James Paxton and reliever Brennan Bernardino the only left-handed pitchers to get a start. Those two combined for just six starts total.

The Red Sox had only one starter with at least 10 starts, with an ERA less than four, which contributed to the team’s 81-81 mark. This was the third straight season in which the team failed to reach the playoffs and the fifth time since the team won the 2018 World Series that it failed to qualify for the postseason.

Snell went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA for the San Francisco Giants in 2024 and is just one season away from a 2023 NL Cy Young Award. Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA for the Atlanta Braves in 2024.

Both would be solid additions to the Red Sox pitching staff and give the team a much-needed piece after the 2024 right-handed heavy rotation.