The Boston Red Sox seem like a team that is about to open the checkbook and land a big free agent.
Rumors have been swirling about Boston for weeks, and pretty much all of the chatter has been consistent with the fact that the Red Sox seem like they are going to be spending this winter. Boston has opted against massive deals as it has built up its farm system, but it sounds like things are changing.
The most obvious hole the Red Sox have is at the top of the rotation and NBC Sports Boston’s John Tomase suggested a $140 million deal with Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried would solve this issue.
“Even after extending a $21 million qualifying offer to Nick Pivetta, the Red Sox need to add an arm to the top of their rotation. Perhaps no one fits the sweet spot better than Fried, a left-hander who has spent his entire career with the Braves while twice finishing in the top five of NL Cy Young Award voting. The 30-year-old pitched in the same high school rotation as Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito, who is lobbying his former Harvard-Westlake teammate to come to Boston.
“The two-time All-Star is 73-36 with a 3.07 lifetime ERA, and he’s got oodles of postseason experience, too. Red Sox owner John Henry has long opposed big-money free agent deals for starting pitchers, but getting Fried for less than $30 million annually represents a relative bargain.”
Fried clearly is a star and he is left-handed, which Boston needs. It doesn’t seem like there is a better fit on the open market.
