Red Sox reportedly talk to top-tier free agents to bolster starting rotation

Unlike previous offseasons, the Boston Red Sox are anticipated to be active and making some big moves. Last season, the Red Sox watched as the New York Yankees made it to the World Series and the Baltimore Orioles make it into the postseason.

The Red Sox have already met with superstar free agent and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto in hopes of enticing him to join the team for the foreseeable future. As it turns out, the Red Sox aren't done talking to the players at the top of free agency.

During an appearance on Yahoo Sports' "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan revealed that the Red Sox have been talking to free agent starting pitchers Blake Snell and Max Fried. Passan mentions the Red Sox's inability to develop starting pitching as a reason why they are exploring some of the top-tier options in the starting pitching market.

"Everything has lined up for them at this point, except their ability to develop starting pitching at the big league level," said Passan. "Brayan Bello is good. Kutter Crawford is a perfectly fine big league starter. But they don't have a dude. And it's why they're talking with Blake Snell and it's why they're talking with Max Fried..."

Red Sox reportedly talked with Blake Snell, Max Fried this offseason

If you want to bolster your starting rotation, Snell and Fried are two of the best options to help with that feat.

Snell was one of the lengthy holdouts, as he was a client of Scott Boras. After signing with the San Francisco Giants late in the offseason, Snell struggled early on after missing most of spring training. But as the season progressed, Snell returned to form, and even threw his first career no-hitter.

On the year, Snell recorded a 3.12 ERA, a 1.048 WHIP, a 124 ERA+, a 2.43 FIP, 145 strikeouts, and 44 walks in 104.0 innings (20 starts).

Meanwhile, Fried is a two-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and a 2022 NL Cy Young Award runner-up. Despite being a consistently good option at the top of the rotation, the Atlanta Braves are allowing Fried to hit free agency. With how much money he could command from a starting pitching-needy team, it would not be a shock to see Fried sign elsewhere on a long-term deal.

This season, Fied recorded a 3.25 ERA, a 1.164 WHIP, a 128 ERA+, a 3.33 FIP, a 3.5 WAR, 166 strikeouts, and 57 walks in 174.1 innings (29 starts).

The Red Sox are exploring all options this offseason. If they are to land either Snell or Fried, that could help their team be even better in 2025 with better chances to contend for the division and the playoffs.