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The Boston Red Sox are expected to be heavily involved in the pitching free-agent market. They have been without a top-line starter for several years now, and with a budding offense, they could spend big to provide a matching rotation. According to sources, Corbin Burnes is the top priority.
Burnes has a Cy Young win and four All-Star game appearances. He was traded over to the Baltimore Orioles for his final year before entering free agency. Given the plethora of young stars Baltimore will need to sign eventually, Burnes is unlikely to go back.
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That has made him the top target for the Red Sox. According to Mike Rodriguez, he's number one, while Blake Snell is number two.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, is older than Burnes and might cost more in the short term. If the Sox cannot sign Burnes, they may flip to Snell to fill the void at the top of their rotation.
Their rotation is currently made up of Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Lucas Giolito (who missed the entire 2024 season) and Richard Fitts. A starter is in order, and they have their eyes on two in particular.
Will the Red Sox sign Corbin Burnes?
The Boston Red Sox will not be alone in courting Corbin Burnes. They have some competition for his services, namely the New York Mets. The odds for Burnes' next team are as follows according to FOX Sports:
- Mets: +450
- Red Sox: +500
- Dodgers: +700
- Cubs: +700
- Padres: +750
- Orioles: +750
As far as their secondary option, Blake Snell, goes, the Red Sox have good odds here as well. Once again, the Mets are the favorites to add the former San Francisco Giants star:
- Mets: +550
- Yankees: +600
- Red Sox: +600
- Dodgers: +650
- Padres: +700
- Cubs: +750
- Tigers: +800
Again, they're far from the only team interested in these pitchers. No signing is imminent as baseball free agency is a slow process. Snell didn't sign until Spring Training last year, though a wait that long is unlikely this time around.
It is also unlikely, even though they have good odds on both, that the Red Sox add both players to their rotation.
