Max Fried is reportedly Red Sox new focus in quest to land free-agent starter
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox missed out on free-agent starter Blake Snell, and are now reportedly shifting focus to lefty ace Max Fried to lead their rotation.
The Red Sox are zeroing in on Fried in free agency, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Red Sox did not have a southpaw in their rotation last season, so Fried would fill a glaring need in the rotation.
Who is Max Fried?
Fried, who will turn 31 in January, is one of the best free-agent starters available this offseason. He's been with the Atlanta Braves for all eight of his MLB seasons, and sports a 73-36 record, 3.07 ERA, 1.164 WHIP, and 2.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio for his career.
Fried made his second career All-Star team last season, and bounced back from an injury-plagued 2023 season to finish the campaign 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA. He struck out 166 batters over 174.1 innings and led MLB with two complete games, including a shutout, over his 29 starts.
He finished second in National League Cy Young voting in 2022, when Fried went 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA and struck out 170 batters over a career-high 185.1 innings pitched. He was an All-Star that season and also won his third Gold Glove award.
Fried helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021, when he went 2-2 with a 4.23 ERA and 1.193 WHIP in the postseason. He was shelled by the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the Fall Classic, allowing six runs over five innings, but then notched the win in Atlanta's Game 6 clinching with six shutout innings.
For his career, Fried is 2-5 with a 5.10 ERA (38 earned runs over 67 innings pitched) and 1.493 WHIP in the playoffs.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Fried was a first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in 2012, drafted seventh overall out of high school. He was traded to the Braves in 2014 and made his MLB debut for Atlanta in 2017.
Red Sox miss out on Blake Snell
The Red Sox were reportedly trying to land Snell this winter, but the veteran lefty has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a five-year deal worth $182 million, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Snell pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2024, and went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.048 WHIP over 20 starts.
Should the Red Sox not land Fried in free agency, they could try to swing a trade for White Sox southpaw Garrett Crotchet, or could turn their attention to righty Corbin Burnes, who is a free agent after going 15-9 for the Orioles last season.
The Red Sox also have reportedly made an offer to free-agent outfielder Juan Soto.