The Boston Red Sox's search for elite starting pitching continues. The Red Sox were among the three finalists for Max Fried, but in typical Boston fashion, they couldn't get the job done.
The New York Yankees and Fried agreed on an eight-year, $218 million contract on Dec. 10 during Winter Meetings, first reported by MLB insider Jeff Passan. Both the Sox and Yankees lost out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but of the two, only New York has begun a rebound.
The Blue Jays were also among the three finalists for Fried's services. Minutes after he signed with the Yankees, Toronto pivoted into offensive mode and traded for former Guardians Gold Glove-winning second baseman Andres Giménez. Boston has been left in the dust after yet another tough loss.
The Yankees' offer to Fried came in "significantly ahead" of Boston's best offer, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Red Sox Nation is not thrilled with yet another unfinished free agency pursuit, especially after seeing the team's $700 million offer to Soto. Pitching is the Sox's biggest need, yet they repeatedly refuse to pony up to improve it.
Yankees sign lefty ace Max Fried as Red Sox continue to run out of options
Clock ticking for Red Sox to spend. https://t.co/oazTaMmSyz
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 10, 2024
Fried will star alongside Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil as possibly the best rotation in the American League East. Fried has the lowest ERA in baseball since 2020 among hurlers with a minimum of 550 innings pitched with a 2.81 — the Red Sox have a much greater need for that level of consistency and experience, but let it get away from them again.
According to Cotillo, Boston is readying an offer for the last remaining No. 1 free agent starter, Corbin Burnes. This is the Red Sox's last chance to make the impact they've promised this offseason. Burnes is a California native who may want to play on the West Coast. Toronto has plenty of money and is still desperate for a big move and the Orioles' new ownership would surely love Burnes back. He's going to demand a lot of years and a lot of money, but Boston is really running out of options.
The Red Sox should be Burnes or bust at this point. But truly, it shouldn't have come to this. Boston got fans' hopes up by going all-in on Soto, and that will be a mistake if it had no intention of spending elsewhere.