Red Sox

Jeff Passan noted that Boston is talking to the pair of aces as they continue to seek out top-end talent.

Amid a reinvigorated offseason where agents and insiders alike are expecting the Red Sox to spend big money, Boston is reportedly in talks with a pair of free agent aces.

While speaking about the Red Sox lack of homegrown pitching development, ESPN’s lead MLB insider Jeff Passan mentioned casually that Boston is “talking to” Blake Snell and Max Fried. Both are among the top free agent arms this offseason.

“Everything has lined up for them at this point, except for their ability to develop starting pitching at the big league level,” Passan said on the Baseball Bar-B Cast. “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 to Blake Snell, and it’s why they’re talking to Max Fried.”

Passan’s assessment of Boston’s pitching need is fair and aligns with the view many people have of the Red Sox rotation. Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello are both very capable, and Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford would fit in toward the bottom of the rotation very well. But adding a true ace to the group would go a long way toward turning things around in Boston.

Snell would also add another element to the starting arms as a lefty pitcher. He took home a second career Cy Young award in 2023 with the Padres, and commanded a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts with the Giants in 2024. Snell pitched his first career no-hitter on Aug. 2.

Fried has been tied to Boston since before free agency even opened as a name to watch for the Red Sox. His connection with Giolito — and Giolito’s known desire to play alongside his high school teammate once again — made an obvious connection between the sides.

Fried is coming off an All-star season and finished 2024 with a 3.25 ERA. He also made 29 starts and tossed 174.1 innings, proving his arm can hold up through a full season’s workload.

Passan added that if Boston would rather chase Juan Soto instead, they could still add to their rotation via trade, namely for White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, another name tied to Boston so far this offseason.

However, whichever route Boston elects to go to revamp its roster, Passan did close his monologue with some important advice for the Red Sox front office.

“They have to be intelligent about how they do things, because getting stars, it’s not easy,” Passan said.