The Juan Soto sweepstakes contender who missed out on Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi
Today at 02:01 AM
The Juan Soto sweepstakes are in full swing in MLB free agency, about a month after the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series and about a week after Shohei Ohtani won his third unanimous MVP and his first in the National League. While the Yankees have rightly prioritized re-signing Soto, the Dodgers have signed Blake Snell to a five-year, $182-million deal. However, other Juan Soto contenders like the Red Sox and Orioles have also missed out on Snell and Houston Astros pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
“Red Sox were in on both Snell and Kikuchi before losing out,” MLB columnist Jon Heyman said on X, formerly Twitter. “They seek rotation upgrades and have preferred a lefty.”
Meanwhile, another report said that after missing out on both star pitchers, the Red Sox will pivot to other big pitching names available on the market.
“The Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles were all in on Blake Snell before he signed with the Dodgers, per source,” according to senior reporter and MLB insider Mark Feinsand. “Expect those three to remain active on the pitching market, with names like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty among the top arms available.”
Red Sox hunt for big names
Before Tuesday, Blake Snell was reportedly connected to the Red Sox, but he decided to join the Dodgers instead, probably for the 30-year-old to maximize his chances of winning a World Series.
After an injury-riddled 2023 season, Snell rebounded to pitch the second-most innings of his career last season, and he also led the MLB in complete games with two.
During his eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves, the lefthanded pitcher posted a 3.07 ERA (140 ERA+) plus a 1.164 WHIP.
However, after the Dodgers snagged him in free agency, the Red Sox have pivoted to Max Fried as they work to sign a big name pitcher. They’ve long wanted to improve the club after they missed the postseason for three straight years.
Last season, the team finished 81-81, good for third in the ultra-competitive American League East division.
Who could they sign now?
On the other hand, the Anaheim Angels signed Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $63-million deal, robbing the Red Sox of another viable arm to balance the roster.
Kikuchi had started his career with the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and played for two-and-a-half seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2022 to 2024.
Moreover, the southpaw pitcher logged a 4.75 ERA across 115.2 innings with the Jays, then finishing with a 2.70 ERA in 60 innings for the Astros.
After last season, Kikuchi had become a reliable mid-to-late rotation pitcher for teams looking for capable arms in the pitching market.
While the Red Sox missed out on their target lefty pitchers, they could hope to turn their season around by winning the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
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