The Boston Red Sox still need a frontline starter this offseason. They’ll have to find another option after the New York Yankees snagged one of their top targets.
The Yankees reportedly agreed to a megadeal with left-handed starter Max Fried for eight years and $218 million, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal reported earlier Tuesday that Fried had been expected to make a decision by Thursday, sparking a bidding war between the longtime rivals. Several reports predicted the starter’s decision would come down to the Red Sox and Yankees. In the end, New York made a swift pivot from losing the Juan Soto sweepstakes to add a talented lefty behind ace Gerrit Cole.
Corbin Burnes is now the best remaining free agent starter, while Garrett Crochet, Dylan Cease and Luis Castillo all could be interesting trade pivots for the Red Sox.
The message is clear at this point of the Winter Meetings: The market, particularly in pitching, is expensive. It may not be accurate to value, but that’s the current reality. The Red Sox will have to get uncomfortable with dollars or prospects to get the frontline pitching they desperately need.
The Winter Meetings in Dallas run through Thursday.
