Boston Red Sox Reportedly Unlikely to Land Top Free Agent Pitchers Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery
The Boston Red Sox do not appear prepared to hand out long-term contracts to any of the top free agents this winter, including starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.
Alex Speier of The Boston Globe wrote Saturday that "every indication remains that the Sox won't be pursuing long-term deals" for either potential ace. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal added more Sunday morning, going in-depth on how unlikely Boston is to shell out cash for Montgomery, specifically.
When it comes to Montgomery, the cash-strapped Texas Rangers may not be able to sign him back, despite last fall's World Series run. Rosenthal cited that as a reason for other teams to pounce on Montgomery, but he said it was "inexplicable" that the Red Sox were not actively looking to take advantage of the opportunity.
Montgomery moved to Boston earlier this offseason, as his wife recently started her residency in dermatology at a hospital in the area.
Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy said at last week's "Winter Weekend" celebration that the team's payroll would likely be lower in 2024 than it was in 2023. That hints towards the club not wanting to pay Montgomery – or Snell, for that matter – in the ballpark of $25 million per year over the next five or so seasons.
So far this offseason, the biggest contract the Red Sox have handed out was to starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. His two-year, $38.5 million deal includes an opt-out after this season, so if Giolito can rebound and string together a strong campaign, he will likely hit the open market again next winter.
Giolito effectively replaced Chris Sale, who Boston traded to the Atlanta Braves in December.
As it stands, the Red Sox have six starting pitcher options in Giolito, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock, although most of them have proven better as long relievers as starters in recent years.
Adding Montgomery or Snell – who won NL Cy Young with the San Diego Padres in 2023 – would completely change the dynamics of Boston's rotation. And with $61 million of projected space below the competitive balance tax, per Spotrac, signing either one wouldn't necessarily hamstring the front office.
Regardless, ownership seems intent on keeping costs low in terms of payroll in 2024.
Montgomery has posted sub-4.00 ERAs in each of the last three seasons, starting 94 games for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Rangers in that span. Snell, meanwhile, emerged as an All-Star and Cy Young with the Tampa Bay Rays before spending the past three seasons in San Diego.
Both free agents are 31 years old.
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