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Many in the baseball community had long believed that once right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a contract with the Dodgers, the free-agent market would heat up, especially for pitching. However, that belief has not materialised. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, this could be because top starting free agent Scott Boras, who represents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, “may be keen” to take his time in finding the two southpaws new homes. That’s hardly out of the ordinary for Boras, who has let high-profile clients stay on the market long into Spring Training in the past—he did that with Bryce Harper during the 2018–19 summer, for example.
The number of possible suitors that the couple still has to select from may contribute, at least in part, to their determination to wait out the market. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the lefties are being pursued by the Phillies, Red Sox, Giants, and Angels. Although their apparent interest in Montgomery was not stated, the Giants and Angels were connected to Snell last week. Heyman also mentions that the Yankees are considering Montgomery, who was once mentioned as a fallback option in case they were unable to entice Yamamoto to the Bronx. However, he clarifies that it is not known if the team is also considering Snell.
Given that Snell and Montgomery are the two best starters available on the free agent market and that both teams clearly need Montgomery in the rotation, it should come as no surprise that the Angels and Giants would extend their consideration beyond Snell to include Montgomery. The Yankees, who are rumoured to have made Yamamoto a $300 million offer, are also believed to be in the hunt for a top-of-the-rotation starter and to be willing to spend a lot of money. The Red Sox have also been linked to elite relievers over the offseason, but Cotillo warns that the team is now more interested on free agents that are a tier below Snell and Montgomery, such as Lucas Giolito and Shota Imanaga.
The Phillies are arguably the most unexpected team to be on this list. Although the team was in the running for Yamamoto’s services, it is said to have changed its mind and decided to give Zack Wheeler’s contract extension more importance than bringing in more impact players for the 2024 squad.
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