Jul 22, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hat and glove laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

At this stage of the offseason, it's unlikely the Boston Red Sox are putting any limits on their search for starting pitching. Their need is too great not to explore every possible avenue.

However, at some point, it's inevitable names will start getting crossed off the list.

Lots of factors come into play when considering "fit" for a free agent: ability, cost, roster construction, and countless others. It's inevitable that not every ace pitcher available this winter will match up to the Red Sox's wants and needs from a contract perspective, but it's still nice to be connected to as many as possible.

In that vein, Boston fans may be disappointed to hear that, from at least one insider's perspective, the Red Sox are off the list for a certain two-time Cy Young winner.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed team fits for the top 45 free agents this winter, and somewhat discouragingly, the Red Sox were not among the teams linked to San Francisco Giants ace Blake Snell.

"Snell will pitch at age 32 next year and I think his lack of durability -- he's pitched more than 130 innings in a season only once since 2018 -- will again prevent him from getting a long-term contract," Bowden said. "However, after opting out of his $30 million player option, he'll be able to sign a better deal."

To make things even worse for the Red Sox, the five teams Bowden did include as fits for Snell included two division rivals: the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. The other three were the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and Snell's current team, the Giants.

Snell, 31, won one Cy Young in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays and his other in 2023 with the San Diego Padres. He was injured and ineffective for the first half of the season but lights out from July onward, posting a 1.23 ERA and big-league-leading 114 strikeouts from July onward while also tossing his first career no-hitter.

Adding the peak version of Snell to the Boston rotation would be a massive upgrade, but there's always at least a touch of uncertainty surrounding this particular lefty. Other teams will be more than willing to take the risk, but whether the Red Sox will get seriously involved remains to be seen.