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  • Boston Red Sox Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Boston Red Sox free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Alex Mayes
    The Boston Red Sox made yet another round of cuts in camp, mere days away from Opening Day. Notably, OF/INF Kristian Campbell headlines the group reassigned to minor-league camp. Pitchers Alex Gamboa, Tayron Guerrero, and Kyle Keller were also reassigned. Catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, and outfielder Braiden Ward were also reassigned, but they are remaining in major league spring training for now. 
    Obviously, Campbell headlines the reassignment group for this round. Campbell came into camp with more muscle and with new mechanics at the plate. While he had some promising moments, his performance left a bit to be desired. He appeared in 18 games for the Red Sox this spring, slashing .220/.304/.645 with one home run, two doubles, a 23.9 K%, and a 4.3 BB%. If you’ve tuned into any spring training games so far, you’ll have noticed that he seems far more comfortable at the plate now, but he’s still adjusting to his new swing. When it clicks, he should take a giant step forward to hopefully become the player the team envisioned when they extended him at the start of the 2025 season.
    Guerrero was impressive in camp but his reassignment seems to indicate that the Andrew Bailey-led pitching lab doesn’t think what he’s currently working with is sustainable at the big-league level, yet. He’s a flamethrower, but the rest of his game needs more refinement. Keller has looked overmatched for much of spring training so his reassignment isn’t surprising. Gamboa falls into the same category as Keller; both obviously need more work and aren't likely to see the big-league roster any time soon.
    Delay, Capra, and Ward being reassigned also isn’t surprising. but the decision to keep them in Major League spring training is an indicator how high the organization is on them as capable depth options. Ward is likely going to be a late season call up to give the team a boost off the bench in pinch running situations, so look for him to continue to shine on the basepaths with Worcester for the bulk of the season. Delay was in the mix for the backup catcher role but this likely means he’s out of that race for now. Capra proved to be more than capable at handling infield duties while guys were given days off for rest down the stretch of spring training.
    Watch for at least one more round of cuts as the front office gets the team down to the 26-man roster before Opening Day on March 26.
    Nick John
    As spring training gets closer to concluding, the Boston Red Sox have continued to shape their Opening Day roster. On the first day of March Madness, the team optioned and reassigned multiple players to the minor leagues.
    The team wound up optioning two players, including one member of last year's roster in Nick Sogard. He was joined by Tsung-Che Cheng. Sogard appeared in 30 games last season for Boston, providing defensive versatility for the organization while also securing a few clutch hits at the plate. Overall, he hit .260/.317/.344 with eight doubles and nine RBIs. Sogard also played a big role in the Red Sox's Game 1 win over the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series.
    Cheng, who was selected off waivers from the Nationals, is only 24 years old and made his debut last season with the Pirates. He went hitless in seven at-bats. Cheng was never expected to compete for a roster spot and instead will serve as depth in Triple-A.
    Players who were reassigned to minor league camp include utility players Max Ferguson and Tyler McDonough, infielder Mikey Romer, outfielder Allan Castro, and first baseman and catcher Nathan Hickey.
    Nick John
    The Boston Red Sox made an addition to their relief corps Tuesday night as they came to an agreement with veteran right-hander Tommy Kahnle on a minor league deal, according to New York Post Sports’ Jon Heyman. The right-hander has been a factor in several bullpens since breaking into the majors back in 2014 with the Colorado Rockies.
    For his career, Kahnle has appeared in 456 games for the Rockies, Yankees, White Sox, Dodgers, and Tigers, compiling a 3.61 ERA and 436 2/3 innings pitched. In that span, he struck out 502 batters. 2025, however, was a bit of a down year for Kahnle as he appeared in 66 games with the Tigers and tossed 63 innings with a 4.43 ERA, his highest since 2018. Kahnle, however, was a dominant reliever in both 2023 and 2024 with the Yankees.
    The Red Sox have tried several times to sign Kahnle, but each attempt ended in failure for the franchise until now. Kahnle will likely spend the final week of spring training in major league camp attempting to win the final bullpen spot. It is likely that he will open in Triple-A, depending on his conditioning, and with it being so late in spring training to join an organization. Kahnle provides the Red Sox with another veteran arm to potentially help the bullpen should it struggle.
    Alex Mayes
    The Red Sox have made another series of spring training moves, reassigning multiple names to minor-league camp. This group is exclusively pitchers this time, which makes sense in the wake of the team signing southpaw Danny Coulombe last week. The names being reassigned are: left-handed pitcher T.J. Sikkema, and right-handed pitchers Seth Martinez, Wyatt Olds, and Noah Song. 
    This leaves big league camp at 54 while Craig Breslow and the coaching staff begin to whittle away the depth options in the bullpen. It’s been a mixed bag for each of these four pitchers during their time in spring training. Song posted a stellar 1.13 ERA across six games, but lacked control as evidenced by his three wild pitches. He did post nine strikeouts though, indicating that there’s still life left in his pitch mix and he should be pushing for a spot on the 26-man roster at some point this season.
    Olds fared much worse, posting a 6.75 ERA over seven games, but he also struck out nine. Martinez held a 7.27 ERA with only five strikeouts. Sikkema clocked in with the highest ERA at 9.00 over three games, but struck out five in those three appearances. 
    Song is perhaps the most shocking name to be reassigned so far in camp, but he doesn’t have a true spot in the bullpen as it’s currently constructed. Should he show out in Worcester early in the season, expect to see his name called early and often. As for the other three, the reassignment makes sense as none of them have shown to be dependable enough in camp to warrant consideration for the big-league roster at this point. 
    We’re getting closer and closer to Opening Day, so expect more names to be reassigned to minor league camp as Breslow and Alex Cora start making the tough roster decisions.
    Nick John
    All offseason, the Boston Red Sox were looking for a left-handed reliever to add to their bullpen, and with the regular season just two weeks away the team has signed one. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that the Red Sox and free-agent reliever Danny Coulombe came to an agreement Thursday night on a one-year deal. The contract is said to be a major-league deal, meaning he'll join the 40-man roster. The contract is worth $1 million according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
    Coulombe had a season of two halves in 2025. Beginning the season with Minnesota, the reliever was one of the best left-handers in the game as he appeared in 40 games and tossed 31 innings. In that span, he allowed just four earned runs on 21 hits and nine walks. He also struck out 31 batters. However, after getting traded to Texas at the trade deadline, he didn’t perform as well. Appearing in 15 games, he struggled in 12 innings as he allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits and nine walks.
    Prior to 2025, he spent two seasons in Baltimore where he was once more a dominant bullpen arm. In 94 games with Baltimore, he tossed 81 innings and allowed just 23 earned runs. He also walked just 17 batters and struck out 90 in that span.
    With the Red Sox's 40-man roster full, the team is placing Romy González on the 60-Day Injured List to open up a spot.  
    Brock Beauchamp
    We're looking for front-page contributors to write Red Sox content for the 2026 season!
    If you’ve ever wanted an audience for your Red Sox takes, this is the perfect place. While we generally lean into analytics and analysis, we also take a “come as you are” approach to baseball and give writers a lot of leeway to write about the game in a way that interests them. That could manifest in historical pieces, previews, or regular series. It’s a matter of finding your niche in the fandom and carving out a space for it.
    Right now, our primary need is minor-league coverage and major-league analysis. If this is the kind of baseball talk that interests you, please reach out via email at brock.beauchamp@talksox.com or reply to this article.
    It is also noteworthy that we pay our content creators. It’s certainly not enough to quit your day job. So don’t do that. However, it might be enough to show that we value your time, talent, and effort.
    If you know someone who might be interested in creating Red Sox content as a side job, please share this with them!
    Brandon Glick
    The Boston Red Sox have finally started shaving down their major-league roster, optioning or re-assigning eight players to minor-league camp on Monday, March 9.
    Jake Bennett is the most notable name on that list as a member of the 40-man roster and one of the team's top prospects. Still, he's got a long way to go before making his MLB debut, as he's still behind Payton Tolle and Connelly Early on the organizational depth chart.
    Three of those pitchers (Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, and Vinny Nitoli) are either hurt or have been delayed in their ramp-up for the regular season. Both catchers (Nate Baez and Ronald Rosario) are projected to open the season in Double-A as depth behind Triple-A options Jason Delay and Mickey Gasper. The other two arms (Devin Sweet and Jeremy Wu-Yelland) are intriguing bullpen options who struggled mightily in their limited spring training action.
    Expect more rounds of cuts in the coming weeks, especially as the team's 15 representatives at the World Baseball Classic make their way back to camp.
    Nick John
    The injury bug has struck another member of the Boston Red Sox organization: Isaac Stebens will spend the season on the injured list. As first reported by SoxProspects’ Andrew Parker, Stebens will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early March.
    Stebens was drafted out of Oklahoma State in the 16th round of the 2023 draft and split 2024 between Salem and Greenville. In 2025, the right-hander spent the entire season with Greenville where he appeared in 38 games and tossed 50 1/3 innings. After the season concluded Stebens, was one of the Red Sox representatives for the Arizona Fall League where he appeared in eight games and tossed seven innings.
    Stebens was one of Greenville’s most dominant relief arms and had a good chance of opening the season with Double-A Portland. Instead, he will look to recuperate from his surgery before attempting to rehabilitate from his injury.
    Nick John
    It seems that the Red Sox's infield depth has already taken a massive blow before the season has even begun. On Wednesday morning, it was revealed by Romy Gonzalez that the infielder will likely not be ready for Opening Day, a revelation many were not surprised by, considering the infielder's current situation.
    Dealing with a shoulder he aggravated back in January after originally injuring it near the end of the 2025 season, González has yet to get into any regimen during spring training. González had previously undergone a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection in late January, but things have not progressed to the point he had hoped.
    Per MassLive’ Christopher Smith, González said on Wednesday morning “at this point, I think the ramp-up would be a little too quick and it’d be a disservice I feel like to myself and the team if I’m not ready to roll and have a good build up.”
    González will have an evaluation done by the training staff next Friday, but the infielder feels he won’t be able to begin hitting by then.
    With González likely headed to the injured list to begin the season, a battle for the utility infield spot on the roster is likely to come down between Nick Sogard and Andruw Monasterio, with the latter having earned praise from manager Alex Cora.
    Matthew Lenz
    The Boston Red Sox are hoping to get a boost to their pitching staff late in the season, just in time for the playoffs. Whether that will be in the form of a starter or reliever remains to be seen; however, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald provided an injury update on the former staff Ace.
    She reports that Tanner Houck "starts a throwing program next week and is hoping to contribute in September." Having received Tommy John surgery at the beginning of August 2025, that timeline would put him roughly 13 months removed from the procedure. However, even when pictures are cleared to return, it can typically take two to three months for them to fully recover. While returning in September 2026 is a reasonable goal, don't be surprised if we don't see Houck until 2027.
    Houck, 30, has two more years of team control before entering free agency. While there was some uncertainty whether the Red Sox would tender him a contract this offseason, the right-hander was once the ace of the rotation and looked to be one of the better pitchers in baseball after he broke out in 2024. Across 80 big league starts, Houck has a 4.13 ERA (3.79 FIP) and a passable 14.3% K-BB rate. 
    This will be a storyline to follow, especially as the trade deadline approaches. Depending on the state of the team, will the Red Sox pursue pitching help, or will they be relying on Houck to contribute in September and in the playoffs? Let us know what you think in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    Before acquiring Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and a comp B pick, the Boston Red Sox had their sights set on a different player to fill their infield needs.
    Sean McAdam of MassLive wrote the following: "With Marte off the market, the Red Sox, according to an industry source, took several tries at obtaining Zach Neto from the Los Angeles Angels". He added that "Neto could have moved [off shortstop] to either second or third for the time being until Trevor Story’s deal was up." However, the Halos "set a very high bar" to acquire Neto.
    Neto, 25, played 128 games in 2025, carrying a .793 OPS with 26 home runs and swiping 26 bags. In two plus years in the big leagues, Neto has now posted a 115 wRC+ or better in back-to-back seasons. However, his -6 Outs Above Average indicates that shortstop may not be his best position long term, but that the hot corner or keystone, in fact, are better defensive spots for the righty. 
    Do you think the Red Sox made the right move in acquiring Durbin instead of giving up what it took for Neto? Let us know in the comments!
    Nick John
    The Boston Red Sox infield depth may have already taken a hit, as it was revealed by Alex Cora during the first media interview of spring training that Romy González injured his shoulder in the final series of the regular season and that the injury has bothered him throughout the offseason, as reported by the Boston Globe's Tim Healey.
    While unknown at the time, the injury could have played a role in González’s postseason struggles especially against left-handed starters Max Fried and Carlos Rodón after crushing left-handed pitching all season.
    Currently, there is no concrete knowledge regarding the current state of the injury, but the team and González will know more once he arrives to camp. However, the feeling right now is that he’s behind schedule. Should González miss time in spring training, his playing time will likely go to Nick Sogard, Mikey Romero and new acquisitions Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler.
    González said that his left shoulder originally got better but then he suffered a setback in January when he started hitting. He also received a PCP shot on January 23 and still plans to be ready for Opening Day, though things could change.
    For the Red Sox, they hope González can avoid missing significant time and will be able to catch up and be ready for the regular season.
    Matthew Lenz
    Following the trade that netted them Caleb Durban and three other assets, the Boston Red Sox reportedly are not done, making moves that could impact the opening day roster. Most notably, having dealt away from their big league pitching staff, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is looking to reinforce one area of that pitching staff.
    Tim Healey of the Boston Globe is reporting that  Breslow is "continuing to look" at bullpen additions. He adds that they could still dig into their starting pitcher surplus to fill that need.
    Bolstering the bullpen has been a secondary goal of the front office all offseason, and they prioritized chasing middle-of-the-order bats and players who could fill the void at third base. Following the acquisition of Caleb Durbin, they can now hone in on improving their group of relievers. Check out Alex Mays' article on how they could accomplish that via a trade. Otherwise, the free agent market is filled with names that have a track record of being solid but may be past those years, such as a David Robertson or Rafael Montero.
    The most realistic outcome feels like an internal move that sees a starting pitcher transition into a relief role. Whether that would mean an experienced starter like Brayan Bello, or Johan Oviedo, or possibly a high-ceiling prospect like Payton Tolle or Connelly Early remains to be seen.
    How do you think the Boston Red Sox should improve their bullpen internally, in a trade, or via free agency? Let us know in the comments!
    Nick John
    The Boston Red Sox continue to add to their infield depth, as they signed Brendan Rodgers to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
    Rodgers is the second veteran infielder that Craig Breslow has brought into the organization in the past 24 hours, previously signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year contract. Rodgers, who won a Gold Glove in 2022, will compete for a roster spot in spring training.
    The veteran infielder spent most of his career for the Colorado Rockies where he played in 452 games from 2019 until 2024. In that time, he hit .266/.316/.409 with 92 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs and 197 RBIs. Rogers spent the 2025 season with Houston where he appeared in 43 games and struggled offensively. Overall, he slashed .191/.266/.278 with four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
    Offensively, Rodgers has a lot of swing and miss in his game and doesn’t walk enough to make up for it. In his short run with the Astros, Rodgers put up career highs in both walk percentage and strikeout rate at 8.6% and 35.9%, respectively. In 2025, his approach changed slightly as he began to pull the ball more in the air than he previously did in his career.
    The Red Sox are no strangers to bringing in veteran players on minor-league deals and getting production out of them. Amidst a gaggle of veterans competing for time at second base, Rodgers could emerge as a key contributor in 2026.
    Brock Beauchamp
    The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and we're looking to expand our video coverage. Have you ever considered being on-camera and talking about the Red Sox? If yes, we'd love to talk to you about it.
    Our videos are typically in a wide variety of styles: breaking news, analysis, and historical study. We're open to any and all ideas as long as they're centered around the Boston Red Sox. We're looking for serious baseball talk, so leave the hot takes at home.
    If you'd like to learn more about this cool little side gig, please email Brock Beauchamp at brock.beauchamp@talksox.com.
    Here is an example of a recent Red Sox video from us:
    Alex Mayes
    MassLive’s Chris Cotillo has reported that the Boston Red Sox have announced a rather large group of non-roster invitees to spring training this year.
    INF Mikey Romero could be pushing for playing time in Boston later in 2026, so it’s not surprising to see his name included here nor is it shocking to see so many catching options. The team has long been rumored to still be looking for a way to upgrade the backup catching position this offseason so putting their top-level catching options through their paces at spring training makes sense.
    On the pitching side, Noah Song is the name that should jump out the most to Sox fans. Song has a very interesting path to the majors and finally looked like a contributing member of the organization during his quick rise to Triple-A Worcester last season. Once he arrived there, he left quite a bit to be desired but it was his first full, healthy season in pro ball since he finished his military commitment.
    These 14 guys are being given a chance to stake their claim at big league camp. It will be interesting to watch how they perform. Other names are likely to be added as non-roster invitees as we get closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to Fort Myers on February 10.
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