The injured free agent pitcher Patrick Sandoval, that is…
Cue the Passan tweet!
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $18.25 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Sandoval, 28, is coming off Tommy John surgery and expects to return in the second half. He gets a strong deal with Boston looking toward 2026 as well.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 20, 2024
Oh, well that’s kind of anticlimactic. Yes, the Red Sox have signed yet another injured pitcher, something they’ve made a habit of in recent years, with similar signings for Michael Fulmer, Liam Hendriks, and James Paxton. As the tweet says, Sandoval won’t be ready until the second half of the 2025 season at the earliest. Prior to going on the shelf, he put up an ERA+ of just 83 in sixteen starts for the Angels in 2024, though he had posted four straight seasons with an ERA+ of at least 109 coming into the year, and was the 10th best pitcher by fWAR in the American League as recently as 2022. See you in August, Paddy!
But Sandoval isn’t the only rehabbing hurler the Sox went after. We now have confirmation that they made an offer to former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, who ended up remaining with the Cleveland Guardians on a 1-year, $10 million deal after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year. (Gio Rivera, NESN)
Speaking of disappointing free agent acquisitions, Aroldis Chapman has introduced himself to the Boston media. Chapman addressed his 2015 domestic violence incident, saying that he subsequently went to therapy and wants to be a model and leader for younger players. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
Moreover, Craig Breslow insists that they did not treat the decision to sign Chapman lightly, and conducted “extensive” background checks on the reliever. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
As for the team’s efforts to add to the hitting side of the roster, there continues to be a lot of chatter about an Alex Bregman signing, with several insiders now declaring the Red Sox the favorites to sign the infielder, who played under Alex Cora during their time with the Houston Astros. (Connor Roche, Boston.com)