Bloom says the Red Sox have been active on the starting pitcher market and he expects by the time spring training begins they will have made some additions
Steven Matz indeed made his decision before Thanksgiving, and he isn't heading to Boston.
The free-agent left-hander has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported late Tuesday night.
The Red Sox reportedly were one of eight teams that made an offer to Matz, who went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA in a career season for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. Boston needs to add a rotation arm after losing Eduardo Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers in free agency, and Matz appeared to be one of their top targets.
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An $11 million-per-year contract isn't unreasonable for Matz, but the former New York Mets hurler turns 31 in May, so perhaps the Red Sox were hesitant to pay Matz through his age-34 season.
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said last week that pitching is a priority for Boston in free agency this offseason, but Matz is another arm off the board with a potential work stoppage looming in early December.