After a relatively slow start to the offseason, the Red Sox now appear to have their first potential link of the winter and and have started to engage with the market, following Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray's signings—the first significant deals of the season.
According to Sean McAdam of masslive.com, the Red Sox have shown preliminary interest in two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell at the GM meetings earlier this month.
"Snell will likely be the most in-demand of the free agents, and the Red Sox, a source confirmed, expressed an interest in him earlier this month at the GM Meetings in Arizona."Sean McAdam
Snell, who spent the last three seasons in San Diego, comes off his second career Cy Young as he enters free agency, he has posted a 3.15 ERA and 3.36 FIP during his time with the Friars, putting himself in a great position as he enters free agency for the first time in his career, as various teams across the league have already shown interest in acquiring his talents this offseason.
Interest in Blake Snell goes against Red Sox norms
This interest goes against the Red Sox's approach in recent years, where they prioritized strike-throwers like Chris Martin and Corey Kluber. In contrast, Snell falls on the wilder side of the spectrum, leading the league among qualified pitchers in BB/9 this past season despite his overall success.
Snell's potential signing would mark Boston's first major pitching acquisition since they inked David Price to a seven-year, $217 million deal back in 2015, as Snell is projected to receive a seven-year, $200 million contract from MLB Trade Rumors this winter.
It's obvious that Snell would be an immediate upgrade to Boston's rotation, which struggled mightily this past season, but one must ask if this is who the Red Sox should pursue, given other options such as Yamamoto and Jordan Montgomery, who are still available and do not have some of the concerns that Snell has given his injury history and walk issues.
It's clear the Red Sox will upgrade their rotation this year, but it remains to be seen who Breslow will choose as his first signing.