As December looms, the intensity is palpable for the Boston Red Sox on the free-agent market.
Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; National League pitcher Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the first inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
The Red Sox quickly lost out on Blake Snell, who they met with earlier this month, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That takes one of the top starting pitchers out of play and a left-hander, no less. Lefties are a known item on the Red Sox's wish list, considering they had none in their rotation this season.
That puts the Red Sox in an all-or-nothing situation. There are two remaining aces on the market, including one lefty, and Boston simply has to find a way to rope one of them into pitching for the Red Sox in 2025.
Fortunately, one insider believes they can get their man.
Two-time All-Star Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves is the most logical Red Sox target at this point, given that he is the aforementioned lefty ace. Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently predicted that Fried would sign with the Red Sox on a Bleacher Report livestream.
"I'm going to say Fried for the Red Sox," Heyman said. "They've wanted a left-handed starter. Certainly could go for Crochet in a trade, and maybe that's what they'll do, because they haven't been high enough on a lot of these guys."
Fried, 30, is coming off an All-Star campaign where he had a 3.25 ERA in 174 1/3 innings. He's tossed 824 innings in total since the start of 2019, during which time he has a 71-31 record and a 3.06 ERA. As lefties go, he's about as steady as they come.
It will certainly take a big financial commitment for the Red Sox to secure Fried. He was projected for a six-year, $174 million contract by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, and that number could easily climb after seeing what Snell ended up signing for (five years, $182 million).
The time for penny-pinching is over. The Red Sox must be willing to match Fried's price tag through multiple rounds of negotiation, because the alternative could very well be another season of mediocrity.
