MLB Insider: Grading free-agent fits for Blake Snell, Michael Lorenzen, Jordan Montgomery

It is March 18, and MLB free agency is still ongoing. Seriously. No, I can’t believe it either, and there are many baseball people who are just as confused.

The theories from baseball people range from a player asking for too much to that teams are crying poor. There is likely truth in both answers, which has led to Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger and Tommy Pham, among others, being unsigned less than two weeks before Opening Day.

No one saw this coming. Not any player, front office executive, or agent. No one.

Let’s grade some free-agent fits for some of the top remaining players on the market.

Jordan Montgomery: Boston Red Sox

On paper, this fit makes so much sense. The Red Sox need a high-end starter, especially after losing Lucas Giolito for the season. Montgomery is battle-tested, having performed well in the American League East and just winning a World Series with the Texas Rangers. Oh, and his wife has residency in Boston.

Yet the Red Sox have continued to signal that they won’t spend big this offseason. As Jared Carabbis noted, if they didn’t feel the need to spend with Lucas Giolito healthy, then it’s unlikely they would spend with Giolito sidelined for the year.

I have been surprised before and wouldn’t rule anything out. But this would really, really surprise me.

Grading the fit: 2/10.

Michael Lorenzen: New York Yankees

It’s been well-established that the New York Yankees are unlikely to sign Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell, and that the same was said about Dylan Cease before he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

The reason, of course, mostly stems from the fact that the Yankees would have to pay a 110 percent tax for any dollar added to the roster. Both players are expected to command salaries north of $20 million per year (that’s being conservative).

Which is why a Lorenzen-type would make sense for the Yankees. He wouldn’t break the bank and would eat 125+ innings as a starter and give the team much-needed rotation depth, especially with Gerrit Cole sidelined for the next 1-2 months.

Grading the fit: 6/10.

Blake Snell: San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants’ roster, specifically their starting pitching depth, has been hit hard by injuries this spring. Combined with the fact that they are without Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray until around the All-Star break, and they become a legit match for Snell.

But after signing Matt Chapman, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi suggested that the Giants’ offseason was essentially over.

With Snell still on the free-agent market, it’s still entirely possible that he could get into a price point where the Giants could strike. The need is there. They have the financial flexibility to pull off a signing. It makes sense and, until Snell signs somewhere, I’m not going to rule it out.

Grading the fit: 6/10.

This article was originally published on fansided.com as MLB Insider: Grading free-agent fits for Blake Snell, Michael Lorenzen, Jordan Montgomery.