Dodgers owned Red Sox once again with Blake Snell free agency reveal

Last offseason, the Dodgers swiped two players from under the Red Sox's noses: Teoscar Hernández and James Paxton. While Boston was reportedly only interested in a temporary reunion with Paxton, their desire to sign Hernández went deeper, and they went as far as to offer him a contract for two years and $28 million.

Of course, Hernández chose the Dodgers and agreed to just a one-year deal, citing his desire to play for a winning team. The Red Sox finished last in the AL East in 2023 and were the only team in that division with a losing record, so it stands to reason why he would've sacrificed some job security even with a better offer on the table.

It was a gamble, but it paid off, and Red Sox media seemingly couldn't get over it. After Hernández was crowned Home Run Derby champion halfway through the season, he was still fielding questions from Boston reporters about his decision to spurn the Red Sox. His answer was more or less always the same: he wanted to go to a winner.

That was probably part of Blake Snell's mentality when he signed with the Dodgers on Nov. 26 for five years and $182 million (with deferred money, because of course). Having opted out of his contract with the Giants, and as one of three top pitchers on the free agent market (along with Corbin Burnes and Max Fried), Snell likely had suitors calling as soon as news broke.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Red Sox were one of them. He told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation, "The Red Sox really wanted Snell, but [...] I’m not sure how he would have fared in Boston."

Bob Nightengale confirms Dodgers got the better of Red Sox (again) with Blake Snell signing

The Red Sox reportedly have incredibly ambitious plans for their offseason, but they're not exactly off to an auspicious start. Nightengale also reported prior to Snell's signing that Boston aspired to sign two of three of Snell, Burnes, and/or Fried. They're still in the chase for Juan Soto, and rumors Red Sox fans ate up ran rampant over Thanksgiving weekend.

At this point, it's hard not to feel a little bit bad for these guys. They're becoming the Giants of the AL as a team that constantly gets steamrolled by better competitors with more money because of their recent histories of middling play despite longer histories of excellence.

But the Dodgers have now become one of the primary beneficiaries of both the Red Sox and Giants' growing reputations as all-time free agent whiffers. Sorry to Craig Breslow and the Boston front office. Try, try again, guys.