MLB Rumors: Blake Snell report could fit Red Sox plans better than Jordan Montgomery

All the Boston Red Sox have done this offseason is trade Alex Verdugo to the Yankees and replace him with Tyler O'Neill. Adding the right-handed bat to a very left-handed hitting outfield is great and all, but the Red Sox have a lot more work to do. This is a team that finished in last place in the AL East in 2023 and has done nothing but fall further back of their division foes.

The main area Boston must address is their rotation, even more so after trading away Chris Sale in the wake of the Lucas Giolito signing. They were one of the rumored finalists for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but that was a long shot from the beginning and Yamamoto joined Shohei Ohtani in Los Angeles. With Yamamoto and several other high-end starters off the board, the question has been what will Boston do to fix this obvious weakness?

Jordan Montgomery has been a name floated around this offseason as he's one of the better arms available and even lives in Boston, but a recent report suggested Montgomery would be too expensive for the Red Sox’s current budget plans," according to MassLive's Sean McAdam.

Montgomery being out of their price range almost certainly meant reigning NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell would be too. However, a report from MassLive's Chris Cotillo suggests that Snell might be an option after all.

Potential Blake Snell contract structure could make the Red Sox a realistic fit

Cotillo had this to say about the possibility of Snell coming to Beantown:

"The somewhat mercurial Snell seems like less of a clean fit and some now believe he might command a shorter, more creative deal for a team in win-now mode. Earlier this week, a person with knowledge of the pitching market suggested something like a three-year deal with a high average annual value and opt outs may be the route teams take with Snell."

- Chris Cotillo - MassLive.com

It's probably unlikely Snell would actually settle for a three-year deal with opt-outs after he just won the Cy Young Award as this is likely going to be his best chance to really cash in. However, the door to that structure appears to be somewhat open. For a team like the Red Sox that has no interest in being tied into a long-term commitment that could end poorly, this kind of structure makes sense.

We know the Red Sox have more than enough money to pay anyone they want. Doing this structure with Snell gives them an out in the event that the deal doesn't turn out the way they hope. If Snell underperforms or gets injured, their commitment isn't nearly as long as it would be for a guy like Montgomery who is certain to get at least five years on the open market.

Snell's upside has him among the best pitchers in the league, but his floor is quite low for a player who is going to earn a massive payday. He has the two Cy Young's, but in the years he hasn't won the Cy Young, he's been underwhelming at best. Durability has been a concern, and his command has limited his ability to pitch deep into games.

If Snell does consider this structure, Boston has even less of an excuse to miss out. Sure, they'd give up the draft pick, but for a team in desperate need of starting pitching, adding one of Snell's caliber without the risk of the contract being an albatross is well worthwhile. It certainly feels like a better deal than giving Jordan Montgomery double the years even at a lower AAV.