The Red Sox roster is now down to 40 players, but it took some work getting there. The first player to be designated for assignment was reliever Zack Kelly. That was something of a surprising choice. Kelly has been far from outstanding as he’s bounced between AAA and the Red Sox over the last few years — he’d thrown 131.1 innings for the Sox with an ERA+ of 104 and he battled frequent injuries. But he was also one of the hardest throwers in the organization and looked good in his limited innings this season. Choosing Raymond Burgos over Kelly is surprising, but the fact that Kelly is out of options may have been the deciding factor. (Anthony Franco, MLB Trade Rumors)
The other player who was DFA’d, Eduardo Rivera, has already been dealt, as the Chaim Bloom-led Cardinals picked him up in exchange for minor league pitcher Juan Carlos García. Rivera had trouble translating his AAA success to the big league level this year, while Garcia, an 18-year-old out of Mexico, is little more than a lottery ticket. (MLB.com)
In a less debatable bullpen move (a move that could be called a no-brainer, really), the Sox picked up a one-year option on Garrett Whitlock, who has been one of the league’s best relievers with the Sox. This guarantees he stays with the team for at least one more season, and the club holds an additional option for 2028. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
It’s hard not to feel good about the top of the 2027 bullpen with Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman already in the fold. But the bullpen was never going to be the main focus of this offseason. “I think we need some more offense,” Willson Contreras recently said. “That’s for [Craig]Breslow to figure out.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
But before we fully move onto 2027, there’s still some things about 2026 to wrap-up. This includes handing out awards, and the league announced that two Red Sox are finalists for a couple of the big ones. Payton Tolle is one of three finalists for AL Rookie of the Year alongside Parker Messick of the Guardians and Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers. Chad Tracy has been named a finalist for the Manager of the Year alongside Kevin Cash of the Rays and Will Veneble of the White Sox. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
