Former MLB GM believes Cy Young Award winner would be top free-agent fit for Red Sox
"The Red Sox need to make a splash this winter and must address their biggest need: a top-of-the-rotation starter."
If Craig Breslow and the Red Sox want to avoid yet another last-place finish in the AL East in 2024, Boston is going to need to flex some financial muscle in order to bolster a shoddy starting rotation.
And with the Red Sox currently just under $50 million short of reaching the first CBT threshold of $237 million, Breslow and the rest of his staff have the means to dole out a few hefty contracts this winter.
With Boston poised to open its checkbook during the hot-stove season, former MLB GM Jim Bowden believes that the Red Sox’ best free-agent fit this offseason is the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, Blake Snell.
“The Red Sox need to make a splash this winter and must address their biggest need: a top-of-the-rotation starter,” Bowden wrote in his free-agent-fit breakdown for The Athletic. “Blake Snell, fresh off an NL Cy Young-winning season, would do the trick. He went 14-9 this year with a 2.25 ERA over 32 starts, striking out 234 in 180 innings. (He also issued 99 walks, and became the first pitcher to ever lead his league in both ERA and walks.)
“He finished the season strong, allowing no runs in five of his last six starts. Snell ranked in the 100th percentile in pitching run value and breaking run value according to Baseball Savant. Opposing batters hit .079 against his curveball, .185 against his changeup and .123 against his slider.”
Bowden predicted in his piece that Snell will eventually sign a seven-year, $174 million contract. The only pricier free-agent contract he mapped out for a starting pitcher was Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who he linked to the Mets on a seven-year, $211 million contract.
As Bowden pointed out, Snell has the pitching repertoire to anchor a rotation given his high strikeout rate and lofty resume. However, there are some potential red flags for any team willing to give Snell close to $200 million this offseason, given both his age (he turns 31 on Dec. 4) and his high walk rate.
Even though the pitching-starved Red Sox would seem like a perfect fit for Snell, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo did echo a sentiment shared by NBC’s Mike Tirico on Sunday — with Snell expressing a desire to pitch for his hometown Mariners in 2024 and beyond.
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