It wasn’t time for full-on panic when the Red Sox failed to sign Juan Soto over the weekend.
Now, just two days later, it might be time to dust off that panic button…
No need to push it just yet, but it’s definitely fair to break it out after John Henry’s Red Sox missed out on yet another top free-agent starter. And unlike Blake Snell and Shane Bieber, this one stings a little bit…
In spite of Lucas Giolito’s best recruitment efforts, his dreams of teaming up with high school buddy Max Fried will have to wait at least eight more years (barring a trade to the Bronx, and I could absolutely see Giolito in pinstripes…) to make that happen.
The Yankees are signing Max Fried to an 8-year, $218 million contract, per multiple reports. pic.twitter.com/ohZ9gaek2K
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 10, 2024
Yep, good old Max Fried is now officially a New York Yankee. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
Fried to the Sox felt like it made too much sense, so much so that I’ve been pushing the idea since May when the Braves came to town and Fried expressed his excitement and affinity for pitching at Fenway.
But you know what’s more exciting than pitching at Fenway? Two hundred and eighteen million dollars.
The top left-hander on the free agent market ultimately re-set the market with the biggest contract ever handed out to a southpaw pitcher. Fried will play for an average annual value of $27.25 million over the life of his eight-year deal with the Yanks.
So make that two players Henry and Co. were unwilling to set the market for in as many days after also passing on attempting to match counterpart Steve Cohen and the Mets for Soto’s baseball record $765 million deal…
Max Fried is expected to sign with the Red Sox or Yankees and should get a deal exceeding $200M, per @BNightengale. pic.twitter.com/1BMuAMdq2m
— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) December 8, 2024
Like Soto’s deal, you could argue that Fried’s deal will wind up not being worth it. His contract will take him to his age 38 season, and that’s a lot of years and mileage for any pitcher. It’s hard to imagine he’ll be playing his best baseball at that stage…
But you know what? The Yankees didn’t care, because they’re paying for Max Fried today. Perhaps the motivation comes in part from missing out on Soto in embarrassing fashion, but signing Fried certainly addresses a need and strengthens their rotation.
Is it a deal I would have paid, though? You bet. It’s fair to place Fried within striking distance of a $30 million pitcher. As myself and others have said time and time again, it’s just the price of doing business these days…
But again, as I said to begin this column, there are still other starting pitchers out there. Corbin Burnes, who some (but not me) would argue was the top available arm on the market, remains unsigned. Jack Flaherty, Giolito’s OTHER high school buddy, is available. And of course, Garrett Crochet is still on the table via a trade with the White Sox.
The latest, greatest Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki is also another viable choice, albeit one that I would be hesitant to anchor my rotation with alone given his lack of experience in the majors. Don’t get me wrong, I’d take him, but I’d rather Sasaki be your second top pitcher acquired of the offseason as opposed to the main attraction.
One arm who is no longer an option, though, is bringing back old friend Nate Eovaldi, who decided to re-sign with the Rangers on a three-year, $75 million deal. I’ve always fancied Eovaldi’s time in Boston to be a tad overrated, and signing a 34-year-old pitcher to a multi-year deal at a $25m AAV wouldn’t have been my top choice.
Rangers, RHP Nathan Eovaldi reportedly agree to 3-year deal, per multiple sources including https://t.co/Z3s2EpgF39's @Feinsand. pic.twitter.com/IAtvJLS4JE
— MLB (@MLB) December 11, 2024
But if the choice turned out to be Eovaldi or NOBODY, that changes the equation…
Hopefully, that won’t wind up being the case. There’s still time for Craig Breslow to right the ship, pull the plane out of a nosedive or whichever turn of phrase tickles your fancy. Yet with each passing top starter that comes off the board, the nerves of Red Sox Nation only continue to simmer toward a boil...
Once again, it looks like the Sox might be backing themselves into a corner here with their approach to addressing the team’s biggest offseason need. All it will take is one signing, one trade to change the narrative, but until that point, the Sox are playing a dangerous game of chicken that they’ve lost too many times before in recent memory.
If they strike out on top free agents again, especially in the wake of their high-profile pursuit of Soto, well, get ready for a bleep storm of epic proportions…