We never quite figured out why third-string catcher Ali Sanchez was ever in Boston to begin with, and now we may never know. As a minor leaguer who is not currently on the 40-man roster, Sanchez exercised his right to become a free agent, as did pitcher Nick Burdi. Sanchez made four appearances for the Sox this year, with each one coming as a 9th inning defensive replacement. He made just two plate appearances, failing to get on base and striking out once. Word on the street is that Sanchez is now planning on getting his MD, moving to a small Minnesota town to practice family medicine, and stocking his closet full of hats he’ll buy but never get around to giving to his wife. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Ironically, Sanchez departs the club at a time when both primary Red Sox catchers are under the knife. After Carlos Narvaez underwent a minor procedure to repair his left meniscus last week, Connor Wong had a similarly minor procedure to remove a carpal boss from his right wrist. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Will Ali Sanchez come back to haunt the Red Sox one day as a key performer on a rival playoff team? That’s highly unlikely, but there are several former Red Sox players who are still in the postseason, including Mookie Betts, of course, who is having a great October so far. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Though it’s time to say goodbye to Ali Sanchez, it is not time to say goodbye to most of the Red Sox coaching staff. WEEI’s Rob Bradford recently reported that just about every key member of Alex Cora’s staff will be returning for 2026:
You’ll note, though, that there’s one big name who isn’t mentioned there: Jason Varitek.
But the coaching staff is not where everyone’s focus is on when it comes to possible departures. We’re all looking at Alex Bregman, instead. While we wait for the end of the World Series for Bregman to make his decision on whether to exercise his opt-out, Alex Cora is chosing to remain positive, saying “He chose us last year for the right reasons. He wanted to be on a playoff team. He wanted to play in Fenway Park. He wanted to be part of this organization.” (Connor Roche, Boston.com)
