Blake Snell is among a still-solid group of MLB free agents awaiting their next landing spots with spring training already underway.
After being named the National League Cy Young Award winner for 2023 for going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, it looked as though Snell was booked for a payday. The left-hander, just 31 years of age, followed the Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto tier of free agents with a strong case for a multi-year contract, but that hasn’t fallen through. So what’s next?
Well, the latest on Snell suggests that the 2018 All-Star pitcher is willing to modify his desires to find a roster spot ahead of Opening Day.
“Snell is willing to do one of those (Cody) Bellinger-type deals — short-term deal with an opt-out,” Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Wednesday. “They did talk to the (New York) Yankees about this so I’m sure they’re willing to do it with other teams as well. … If you give (Snell) opt-outs after Year 1, and you’ve given up draft choices to sign him, that is in the question as well.”
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If true, this opens the door for clubs across the league who entered the offseason in need of pitching depth, including the Boston Red Sox.
Lucas Giolito, who agreed to a two-year, $38.5 million deal with the Red Sox, has been the biggest addition to Boston’s pitching staff. However, the organization has suggested that the efforts toward improving the rotation haven’t ended with Giolito.
“We’ve been zooming with a lot of people throughout the offseason. I’m not going to get into specifics but yeah, it’s part of the process,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Monday, per Christopher Smith of MassLive, while confirming Boston’s recent contact with free-agent Jordan Montgomery.
Considering the layout of the current all-right-handed rotation options — Giolito, Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck — it wouldn’t hurt to pursue a southpaw. Snell is among the more dominant lefties in baseball and has made 12 postseason appearances, including two starts in the World Series.
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This could create a win-win scenario for both Snell and the Red Sox.
Boston enters 2024 fresh off three last-place divisional finishes in the last four seasons, searching for a redemption campaign to get back on track. Meanwhile, Snell if signed on a short-term agreement, will aim to prove his worth next offseason, which could be done by leading Boston’s rotation toward an encouraging run toward the right direction.
