The Boston Red Sox might not have to worry about their fiercest rival adding one of Major League Baseball’s best pitchers.
Blake Snell still is a free agent with the start of MLB’s regular season roughly a month away. The star left-hander is coming off a terrific 2023 season with the San Diego Padres in which he won the National League Cy Young Award. The hardware marked Snell’s second career Cy Young Award win in the last six years.
Nonetheless, the 31-year-old still hasn’t found a satisfactory contract as of Tuesday afternoon. The Yankees reportedly have been in contact with Snell, but it doesn’t sound like he will end up in New York. A team source told the New York Post’s Jon Heyman that there’s an “extremely low” chance Snell dons pinstripes in 2024.
This is good news for the Red Sox, who also are keeping tabs on the starter market. Manager Alex Cora on Monday acknowledged Boston’s recent contact with 2023 World Series champion Jordan Montgomery, though a deal doesn’t appear to be imminent. The Yankees reportedly like Montgomery as well but prefer Snell.
Scott Boras famously preaches patience to clients, so it’s unclear how long Snell and Montgomery will kick around on the open market before they sign on the dotted line somewhere.
