Red Sox Legend Pedro Martinez Names Top 3 Free-Agent Pitching Targets For Boston

Coming from someone who knows a thing or two about pitching...

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; MLB Hall of Fame player Pedro Martinez before game three of the 2024 MLB World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When Pedro Martinez speaks, the Boston Red Sox might want to listen.

Martinez hasn't thrown a pitch for the Red Sox since the 2004 World Series, but Red Sox fans who were around at the time will never forget the dominance that was on display every time the righty took the mound in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At his peak, he was easily the best pitcher in Boston history.

Now, Martinez may be able to help the Red Sox out in a different way: by playing the role of shadow general manager.

Martinez recently named his top three free-agent starting pitching targets for the Red Sox, and it's a list littered with superstars. They were Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles, Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves, and Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“All of them that are free agents,” Martinez said Friday at his foundation's gala, per NESN. “Burnes, I would have to say Max Fried. All of those guys that are out there. Walker Buehler, all of them. I’m a big fan of pitchers. I hope I can get all the help we can get.”

Though it's certainly a general quote from Martinez, all three of the pitchers the Hall of Famer named have been at least generally connected to the Red Sox through speculation. Burnes and Fried are coming off All-Star seasons, while Buehler picked up a win and the series-clinching save in the World Series.

Burnes and Fried are also very different from Buehler in terms of the deals they will command. The two All-Stars know now is their time to cash in on long-term contracts (six or seven years, most likely), while Buehler is likely to seek a lucrative one-year deal (maybe two) to boost his value for the next free-agent cycle.

Is the Red Sox front office tapped into what Martinez, now a television analyst, is saying about their offseason? Perhaps not, but at the same time, it doesn't hurt to get a Hall of Famer's input.

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