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The Boston Red Sox have been hard at work this offseason, making several big moves to throw themselves into the playoff hunt in the American League. Even after signing Alex Bregman to a huge three-year, $120 million contract last week, the Sox aren't done making moves, as they reunited with one of their former relief pitchers, Adam Ottavino, on Tuesday morning.
Ottavino previously spent the 2021 campaign with Boston, helping them make a surprise run to the ALCS, where they eventually lost to the Houston Astros in six games. After that, he latched on with the New York Mets for three seasons, posting a 4.34 earned run average over 56 innings of work in 2024. Now, he's back with the Red Sox on a minor league deal, though he should have an opportunity to crack the Opening Day roster.
“Adam Ottavino to the Red Sox. Minors deal with camp invite,” Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported.
Red Sox shore up bullpen with Adam Ottavino addition
While Boston has made big additions this offseason, their bullpen has been the one area where they haven't brought in too many new faces. Aroldis Chapman is the headline addition here, and getting guys like Liam Hendriks and Garrett Whitlock back from injury will surely help. Ottavino could help in a late-innings role, even though he is set to enter his age 39 season and is coming off an unspectacular 2024 campaign.
On a minor-league deal, there's very minimal risk for the Red Sox here. If Ottavino can fill a spot for them in their bullpen, this deal will be a win, but if he gets beaten out by other options, they can move on from him without much of a penalty. This could end up being a fairly inconsequential move, but Boston's flier on Ottavino could end up paying dividends if he finds a way to slot into their bullpen.