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By Joey Copponi
Contributing Sports Writer
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What a rollercoaster this week has been for fans of the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox started this week as serious contenders to land Juan Soto, with some even considering them the favorites to land the superstar. A $700 million offer was reportedly on the table. Soto would, of course, eventually agree to sign with the New York Mets, and within 48 hours the Red Sox would also lose out on their primary target of the offseason, Max Fried, to the New York Yankees. Reportedly, their pursuit of Fried puttered out and were not even truly in contention for the lefty by the time he agreed to terms with their divisional rivals in the Bronx.
If you can imagine, things have become even more bleak for Boston in the hours that have followed.
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"The Red Sox, who were among the runners-up in the Soto sweepstakes, took a serious run at Fried this week," wrote Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. "But sources said they appear hesitant to spend what it will take to sign (Corbin) Burnes."
Burnes is the last of the top free agent starters on the market, making him a clear choice for the Red Sox who sought to prioritize top-line starting pitching acquisitions this offseason above all else. What could possibly be standing in their way? Why the sudden change of philosophy? The Red Sox's reported final offer to Juan Soto was $700 million, tying Shohei Ohtani's then-record contract. Just three days later, they appear unwilling to spend the price necessary to acquire their biggest need: starting pitching.
"The Red Sox could now pursue a reunion with (Nick) Pivetta, who declined a qualifying offer from Boston last month," Feinsand wrote. "The draft-pick compensation attached to the right-hander could hamper his market, two NL executives said, making a return to Boston the most logical move for both sides."
If the Red Sox's starting pitching pursuit truly does fall from trying to acquire two of Fried, Burnes and Blake Snell, to a reunion with Nick Pivetta, the Red Sox will have some explaining to do. Following last offseason's "full throttle" fiasco, the Red Sox once again stepped up and announced their intent was to spend big this offseason, with team president and CEO Sam Kennedy saying the team was willing to spend beyond the CBT threshold and into luxury tax territory.
If this is truly the type of offseason the Red Sox have yet again, they will be subject to an exponentially growing amount of ridicule as ownership and management's leash with fans has been shortening for years.
Coming up short is one thing. Shying away from their promise to spend and compete would be another altogether.
More MLB: Red Sox Pursuing $200 Million Free Agent After Missing Soto
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