Soon after they whiffed on free agent Juan Soto, the Boston Red Sox knew they had to go big to redeem their offseason. The New York Yankees did, too.
Both teams had elite pitchers in their sights, but New York was the one that came away with longtime Braves pitcher, Max Fried. It signed him to a record-breaking deal for a lefty pitcher, eight years for $218 million. The Red Sox coveted Fried, as well, but weren't ready to break the bank in the way the Yankees did.
Fried recently revealed how close he came to signing with Boston to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Such a deal could've changed the scope of the Sox's entire offseason — monetarily and otherwise.
“They were interested and I met with the coaching staff and front office,” Fried said. “Really nice, great people and I definitely considered them.
“I was open to meeting and hearing from any team that was interested. Whoever was interested in me, I was very much willing and open to meeting with everyone and see where it went.”
The Yankees put the money they didn't use to sign Soto to good use on Fried, while the Red Sox opted for the trade route. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acquired Garrett Crochet from the White Sox for four top prospects, Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez, and the lefty instantly became their ace.
Max Fried shares that he considered signing with Red Sox before inking record-breaking deal with Yankees
Max Fried on the Red Sox during free agency:
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 18, 2025
“They were interested and I met with the coaching staff and front office. Really nice, great people and I definitely considered them."https://t.co/R9tXUMySQg
After Chris Sale's contract extension had gone sour because multiple serious injuries kept him sidelined for so long, Boston adopted a habit of not signing pitchers to long deals. Fried's deal is huge in terms of money and time, and he'll be 38 years old by the time his contract with New York expires.
Crochet is more the Red Sox's speed — he's young and didn't cost any money at the time of his acquisition. Boston's offseasons have been, for the most part, lackluster since it won the 2018 World Series, and its signing of Alex Bregman marks the first time it's surpassed the luxury tax since 2022.
The Red Sox would've had to get over their past issues with long pitcher contracts to sign Fried. Had they done so, they would still have the four top prospects they shipped to Chicago for Crochet, or they could've used them in a different trade, possibly for the starting second baseman they've struggled to find for years.
The Crochet trade has gone well for Boston so far. He's the team's clear ace, and Breslow built around him by signing Walker Buehler with the money the Sox didn't spend on Fried. Crochet has posted a 0.87 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 10.1 innings in Grapefruit League games, and he's sure to be a force to be reckoned with at the front of the Sox's pitching staff.
But now, to make the whiff on Fried and the trade for Crochet worth it, the Red Sox need to sign him to a long-term extension. If they can't get a deal done before Opening Day, Crochet's self-imposed deadline for negotiations to be completed, he could cost Boston nearly as much as Fried cost New York with another excellent season under his belt.