Red Sox Loosely Linked To Cy Young Award Winner As Possible Major Rotation Upgrade

Boston could be in the mix to land one of the top pitchers in baseball

What will the Boston Red Sox do this offseason?

The Winter Meetings are officially upon us, meaning the Major League Baseball Hot Stove is about to heat up in a major way. Boston is one of baseball's most pitcher-needy teams, and it wouldn't be too surprising to see it make a deal over the next week.

Boston's starting rotation arguably was the biggest reason for the club's struggles in 2023. The Red Sox made some positive strides but still won just 78 games due to an inconsistent starting rotation. 

The Red Sox are expected to make at least one major splash this offseason and the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham mentioned San Diego Padres star Blake Snell as a possible option to do so. 

"Here are some pros and cons of some potential Red Sox targets: Blake Snell," Abraham said. Pros: Snell just won his second Cy Young Award after registering a 2.25 ERA in 32 starts for the Padres. He’s a strikeout machine (234 in 180 innings), something the Red Sox lacked last season. The team has wanted its starters to go deep into games, and Snell proved again this year he can do that, going five or more innings in 29 starts. In 20 of Snell’s starts, he went at least six.

"Cons: There aren’t many. Snell can be prone to the walk, which was an issue for the Red Sox in 2023. He surrendered 99 walks and 5.8 hits per nine innings (both of which led the majors), but his career 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings helps quell some of his “weaknesses.”

Orix Buffaloes phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto likely is the Red Sox's top choice in free agency but if they were to miss out on him, Snell would be a very solid option himself. He just won his second Cy Young Award and is just 31 years old. 

Snell certainly is going to be expensive, but he could be just what Boston needs. The Red Sox reportedly already have reached out to him and now it's a waiting game to see what happens.

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