Red Sox Linked To Cy Young Favorite, Top Pitcher In Upcoming Free-Agent Class

Red Sox Reportedly Could 'Heavily Pursue' Top Pitcher In Upcoming Free-Agent Class

Scott Neville | Aug 14, 2023

Red Sox Linked To Cy Young Favorite, Top Pitcher In Upcoming Free-Agent Class /

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Boston Red Sox

Will the Boston Red Sox finally invest in starting pitching after watching the rotation struggle from Opening Day through the finish line? Two of the most locked-in Red Sox insiders think so.

The upcoming free-agent market is loaded with starting pitching, led by Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani, San Diego Padres' Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers' Julio Urías, Philadelphia Phillies' Aaron Nola, Chicago Cubs' Marcus Stroman (opt-out), Detroit Tigers' Eduardo Rodriguez (opt-out) and Texas Rangers' Jordan Montgomery.

With such a deep class of frontline pitchers, it would be stunning if the Red Sox did not invest in their rotation, which currently holds a 4.63 cumulative ERA, No. 21 in Major League Baseball. MassLive's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam not only agree but have a hunch as to who Boston might be most intrigued by.

“Blake Snell is a name that I think the Red Sox could pursue," Cotillo said on Thursday's edition of MassLive's "Fenway Rundown Podcast."

His colleague and co-host added some fuel to the fire.

"The fact that Snell is left-handed, the fact that he has a history with (Red Sox chief baseball officer) Chaim Bloom from Tampa Bay further makes a connection there, I would expect of the free agents (Snell) would be the guy they would target heaviest," McAdam said.

Snell is 9-8 with an MLB-leading 2.63 ERA, 171-to-76 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .196 batting average against and 1.29 WHIP in 130 innings across 24 starts.

The 30-year-old Padres ace has +320 odds to win the National League Cy Young Award according to DraftKings Sportsbook, only trailing Arizona Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen and San Francisco Giants' Logan Webb.

Snell's path to a potential Cy Young win has been a very odd one, as he currently leads the league in walks allowed but also leads the league with a 6.3 hits-per-nine innings, meaning he's allowing free bases at a horrendous rate but rarely allows more than a few hits per start.

Bloom has been willing to change his philosophy after learning his lessons the hard way. Bloom finally invested in the bullpen over the winter after dumpster diving for relievers for the first few seasons and watching his team blow lead after lead in 2022. Hopefully, he follows the same thought process this season.

Everything is lining up for a lot of capital being spent as the Red Sox will have a reset luxury tax for 2024 -- opening up a three-year window of free-spending before serious penalties start to be enforced such as draft pick losses and less international spending money.

Combine that with one of the best free-agent pitching classes of the century and a fully stocked farm system to swing a trade if needed, and you can expect some changes for the Red Sox's rotation between now and Opening Day 2024.

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Published Aug 14, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu