The Boston Red Sox have had an odd offseason to this point. While they have been busy on the trade market, acquiring Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, and Willson Contreras in three different deals, they are the only team that has yet to sign a free agent to a major league contract this offseason.
Complaints from the team’s fan base reached a fever pitch on Saturday night when it was revealed that Alex Bregman was signing a five-year, $175 million contract with the Chicago Cubs after he opted out of his deal with the Red Sox. Amid all this madness, the Sox managed to bring a new relief pitcher to town, but it likely won’t make fans feel much better about the team’s body of work this offseason.
Red Sox Sign Seth Martinez in Free Agency
Boston entered the offseason in a very good spot. After a surprise playoff appearance in 2025, the team was armed with tons of cap space, a strong farm system, and a rising crop of young stars that the front office can build around. To this point, though, you can make an argument that the Red Sox have actually gotten worse so far this offseason.
The additions of Gray, Oviedo, and Contreras should be helpful, but many of the issues that existed last season haven’t been fixed. The Sox still need a big bat or two to anchor their lineup, and help is needed in the bullpen, particularly in the form of left-handed pitchers. Refusing to spend money in free agency on major-league caliber players certainly isn’t helping the team, and it remains to be seen if that will change at any point.
The most the Red Sox have done in free agency is take a couple of fliers on minor league free agents who could contribute at some point down the line. The latest move the team made involved them signing veteran relief pitcher Seth Martinez to a minor league contract after he spent the 2025 campaign with the Miami Marlins.
“Source: Red Sox have signed RHP Seth Martinez to a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training,” Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects reported in a post on X.
Red Sox Need to Think Big in Order to Avoid Catastrophic Offseason
Getty ImagesRed Sox Chief of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow
Martinez was solid during his last time pitching in a real role in the majors back in 2024 with the Houston Astros (3-2, 3.59 ERA, 1 SV, 36 K, 1.27 WHIP), but he only appeared in six games for the Marlins last year, posting a 5.40 ERA during his limited time on the mound. He could become a key piece of the bullpen, but counting on him to do so is a risky proposition.
The fact that the Red Sox have done virtually nothing to build off of their strong 2025 campaign is wildly disappointing, and losing Bregman will only exacerbate the issues the team is currently facing. With the crop of available free agent targets continuing to dwindle, Boston is running out of time to save its offseason, and it will need to act fast in order to salvage this free agent period.
Red Sox Sign Former Astros & Marlins Reliever Amid Alex Bregman Drama