Blake Snell Odds: Where Red Sox Stand In MLB Next-Team Market
Snell pitched a career-high 32 games in 2023
Blake Snell is one of Major League Baseball's premier free agent pitching options available on the market this offseason, giving the Boston Red Sox an obvious shot at upgrading the rotation.
Snell, 30, just wrapped up another elite campaign with the San Diego Padres, tossing a career-best 32 games. Obviously, two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani headlines the free agency class, however, adding just one name -- albeit the biggest in baseball -- won't rectify Boston's gaping holes alone.
Last season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora leaned heavily on Boston's bullpen in order to call upon "openers" to start games in place of its several unavailable arms that piled up the injured list. Not a sustainable source of innings in 2023, nor will it be moving forward, making Snell an ideal candidate to join the Red Sox rotation for 2024.
In 2019, Snell signed his most recent contract with the Tampa Bay Rays (five years, $50 million) before being traded to San Diego. Now, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Red Sox are in the running to dish out the next payday for the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner.
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Here's where Boston stands in the current odds race:
Philadelphia Phillies (+350)
Los Angeles Dodgers (+500)
New York Mets (+550)
San Diego Padres (+700)
Boston Red Sox (+800)
St. Louis Cardinals (+900)
New York Yankees (+1000)
Baltimore Orioles (+1000)
San Francisco Giants (+1100)
Chicago Cubs (+1100)
Houston Astros (+1200)
Cincinnati Reds (+1600)
As expected, contending teams should make a run at Snell considering he checks several boxes applicable for a handful of organizations across the league -- including the Red Sox.
Snell recorded a National League-best 2.25 ERA and finished second in strikeouts (234), pitching 180 innings with a 14-9 record. His reliance can't be understated, nor can the factor of postseason experience that should put Snell ahead of a few fellow free agent starter options.
The veteran left-hander has compiled a 4-3 record with a 3.33 ERA in 12 postseason starts, including a 2.70 ERA with 18 strikeouts through two starts in the World Series -- with the Rays.
It likely won't come cheap to add a pitcher of Snell's caliber, but the combination of production, leadership and experience under the brightest lights could bolster Boston's current dicey rotation.
