Next Red Sox Ace? MLB Insider Floats ‘Exactly’ Who Boston Could Target

Boston Red Sox pitcher Max Fried?

It’s starting to look more and more like a possibility.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan has been floating players throughout the early portion of free agency who might end up in Boston, but one who continues to crop up — and did again Tuesday — was Fried.

“He’s exactly the sort of pitcher the Red Sox would like to anchor their rotation as their ascent back to contention begins,” Passan wrote. “… Fried, 31 on Opening Day, looks likely to get the second-largest guarantee for a pitcher this winter after posting a major-league-best 2.81 ERA over the past five seasons.”

The Red Sox won’t be the only ones interested, however, as the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers are all said to be in the mix, per Passan.

Fried finished second in 2022 National League Cy Young voting, and over the last four seasons, led all of baseball in shutouts with four. As Passan outlined, he is exactly what the Red Sox should be targeting, as it is widely expected that he’ll command a six-year deal that would set him up to lead a rotation alongside the likes of Brayan Bello and Tanner Houck for years to come.