MLB Rumors: Max Fried Eyed By Red Sox After Blake Snell Signs Dodgers Contract in FA
With Blake Snell becoming the first marquee free agent to come off the board after agreeing to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Max Fried is now the top left-handed starter available who is attracting the attention of an AL East club.
Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Boston Red Sox have focused their attention on Fried after missing out on Snell.
ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jorge Castillo reported Snell has agreed to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers.
Snell's free agency went far better this time around than it did last year. The two-time Cy Young winner went unsigned until March 19 when he got a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants that included an opt out after the first season.
Given how things played out for Snell last year, it's not a surprise he would want to act quickly this time.
Fried figures to benefit from the move by virtue of being the best left-handed pitcher still available.
Nightengale reported on Monday that the Red Sox are "adamant" about signing at least one of the two big southpaw starters this offseason, and they "plan to be involved" in discussions with all of the top free agents.
Fried doesn't have the overall resume that Snell does, but he is 13 months younger with two All-Star appearances and two top-five finishes in NL Cy Young voting since 2020.
MLB Trade Rumors predicted a five-year, $156 million deal for Fried before free agency began. It's prediction for Snell of five years and $160 million was on the low end, but he did take some deferred money that could lower the present-day value when everything gets calculated.
The Red Sox need to make at least one big splash this offseason after basically sitting out free agency for the past three years. They haven't finished above .500 or made the playoffs since reaching the ALCS during the 2021 season.
Putting Fried in a rotation that already has Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck would give the Red Sox a formidable trio as they look to get back to being a contender in the AL East.
Fried spent the past eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He posted a 3.25 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings in 29 starts during the 2024 campaign.
