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Red Sox Sign Jason Delay To Minor League Contract

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The Red Sox have signed catcher Jason Delay to a minor league deal, according to Just Baseball Media’s Aram Leighton.  Presumably the contract contains an invitation for Delay to attend Boston’s big league Spring Training camp.

Delay was a fourth-round pick for the Pirates in the 2017 draft, and he had spent his entire pro career in Pittsburgh’s organization before he was traded to the Braves back in April.  Atlanta wanted a bit of extra catching depth while Sean Murphy was on the injured list, but Delay ended up not getting any action at the big league level.  Delay instead hit .200/.261/.257 over 251 plate appearances at the Double-A and (mostly) Triple-A levels before he was outrighted off the 40-man roster at the end of July.

Though Delay could’ve opted for free agency since he had a past outright on his record, he chose to stick it out with Triple-A Gwinnett for the rest of the season and then elected to become a free agent in early October.  It didn’t take long for Delay to line up his next team, as he’ll now become the third catcher in Boston’s organization with any MLB experience.

The first two of those backstops are Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong, who project as the starting and backup catcher in 2026.  That said, Wong is coming off a rough 2025 season and he underwent hand surgery a couple of weeks ago, plus Narvaez also had a minor knee surgery.  Both backstops are expected to be ready for Spring Training, yet Delay’s addition gives the Red Sox some guard against any rehab setbacks, or the possibility that the Sox could move on Wong entirely.

Delay received a good chunk of playing time with the Pirates in 2022-23 before Joey Bart, Yasmani Grandal, and Henry Davis pushed Delay down the depth chart in 2024.  Over 373 career PA in the majors, Delay has hit .231/.295/.315 with two home runs.

Tomas Nido, Jose De Leon Elect Free Agency

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Catcher Tomas Nido and right-hander Jose De Leon both recently elected to become free agents, as per the MILB.com transactions log.  The Red Sox outrighted De Leon off their 40-man roster last week, while Nido was outrighted off the Tigers’ 40-man roster back in May and was never added back.  These outrights and the fact that both players have over three years of MLB service time allowed the duo to test the open market.

A veteran of nine Major League seasons, Nido appeared in 10 games with the Tigers after inking a minor league pact last offseason, and hit .343/.361/.343 over 37 plate appearances on the active roster.  Jake Rogers suffered an oblique strain in April that opened the door for Detroit to select Nido’s contract, and the Tigers then designated Nido for assignment and outrighted him once Rogers was healthy.  Nido could’ve declined the outright assignment and become a free agent then, but instead chose to stay at Triple-A Toledo in a depth role, suiting up in 48 games for the Mud Hens and hitting .209/.267/.331 over 189 PA.

Nido is a classic glove-first backstop, with only a .215/.249/.310 slash line to show for his 982 PA in the majors (895 of them with the Mets).  The 31-year-old will surely land another minor league deal this winter with another team looking for experienced catching depth, though it’ll likely require another injury further up the depth chart for Nido to get any significant MLB playing time in 2026.

The Red Sox signed De Leon to a minor league contract last winter, and selected him to the active roster to make a start in Boston’s very last game of the regular season, as the Sox were saving their regular starters for the playoffs.  De Leon tossed a quality start (6 2/3 IP, three ER on eight hits and three walks, with eight strikeouts) to earn his first big league win since the 2019 season, when De Leon was still a member of the Rays.

De Leon was one of baseball’s more highly-touted pitching prospects during his minor league days, but he has amassed only 72 MLB innings over parts of seven seasons since making his debut in the Show in September 2016.  A pair of Tommy John surgeries and several other injuries were roadblocks in De Leon’s career, and the second of those TJ procedures (in June 2023) cost the righty the entire 2024 season.  De Leon has a 7.13 ERA over his 72 innings in the bigs, and some major control problems contributed to his 6.93 ERA in 75 1/3 frames with Triple-A Worcester in 2025.

Jason Varitek To Return To Red Sox Coaching Staff

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The Red Sox and Jason Varitek are in the final stages of a new multi-year contract for the 53-year-old to return to the team’s coaching staff, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam reports.  The official announcement “is expected soon,” McAdam writes, and chances are the two sides may just be waiting until either the end of the World Series or until an off-day.  The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes that Varitek has agreed to a new deal.

Varitek has been part of Boston’s coaching staff in each of the last five seasons, all as a game-planning coordinator.  He was also a catching coach from 2021-24, but his job title was switched to game-planning and run prevention coach prior to this season.  It isn’t known if he’ll return to that job or if Varitek might have some different responsibilities in 2026, but whatever the capacity, he’ll be back as a trusted member of Alex Cora’s staff.

Most coaches generally operate on year-to-year contracts, but Varitek’s previous deal was a three-year pact covering the 2023-25 seasons.  McAdam speculates that Varitek’s forthcoming contract could be a two-year deal, in order to line Varitek up with Cora (whose contract is up after the 2027 campaign).

Acquired from the Mariners in a trade at the 1997 deadline, Varitek spent his entire 15-season playing career in a Red Sox uniform, and he has remained with the organization since he retired from on-field action.  He worked as a special assistant within the front office before also taking on a roving catching instructor role in 2020, prior to his formal designation as part of the big league coaching staff in 2021.

Red Sox Promote John Soteropulos to Assistant Hitting Coach

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The Red Sox have made John Soteropulos an assistant hitting coach, reports Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Soteropulos had been a minor-league hitting coordinator since 2023. Before joining Boston’s organization, Soteropulos was a trainer at Driveline Baseball.

McCaffrey adds that Soteropulos worked with minor leaguers on boosting bat speed and exit velocity during his time as a hitting coordinator. That group included top prospects Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer. The trio debuted in 2025, with varying results.

Campbell made the team out of camp. He hit .301 through April, then fell off a cliff in May, batting .134. He continued to scuffle into June and found himself back in the minors. Mayer got the call at the end of May. He showed big power, though it came with strikeout issues. A wrist injury ended his season in July. Anthony had by far the most success of the bunch. He joined the big-league club a few weeks after Mayer. Anthony shook off a slow June to put up a massive July and August. He posted a .920 OPS and a 156 wRC+ from the beginning of July through the first week of September, when he injured his oblique. The strain would end his season.

Boston’s hitting coach is Pete Fatse. He joined the team as an assistant hitting coach in 2020, before being promoted to the head job in 2022. Dillon Lawson is also joining the staff as an assistant hitting coach. He served as hitting coach for the Yankees from 2022 until midway through 2023.

Add Soteropulos to the growing list of employees to make the jump from Driveline to big-league organizations. Driveline founder Kyle Boddy spent time with multiple teams, including as a consultant with the Red Sox. Eric Jagers, the company’s former Manager of Technical Development, is currently the Vice President of Pitching for the Mets. Sam Briend, who led Driveline’s pitching development program in Seattle, has been the Yankees’ Senior Director of Pitching since 2019.

Rob Refsnyder Plans To Play In 2026

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Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder flirted with retirement last offseason, but ultimately decided to continue his career in Boston. Now that he’s headed into his age-35 season, however, it appears he’s less conflicted about his future. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Refsnyder intends to continue his playing career in 2026, and he’s already had “informal talks” with Boston about the possibility of a return.

It’s understandable that Refsnyder would want to keep going after the year he’s had. In 70 games for the Red Sox, Refsnyder raked to the tune of a .269/.354/.484 slash line across 209 plate appearances. That was more or less a repeat of his excellent 2024, and he now enters free agency coming off a two year stretch where he’s slashed .278/.357/.476 in 163 games (516 plate appearances). In that time, he’s clubbed 20 homers with 28 doubles with a 25.6% strikeout rate against a 10.1% walk rate.

That’s incredibly strong production for a bench player, though it should be noted he sports a massive platoon split. Refsnyder is hitting .302/.396/.554 (160 wRC+) against southpaws over the past two years, but in that same time he’s hit a mediocre .250/.310/.387 (94 wRC+) against right-handed pitchers. That production against righties dropped to just .212/.268/.348 (67 wRC+) this season, leaving him has a far less viable bat against same-handed pitching. Even with that step back against right-handers this year, Refsnyder should enjoy a strong market by bench bat standards.

It’s not completely out of the question that a club could see Refsnyder as a candidate for a larger role, given his overall production the past two seasons and solid numbers against same-handed pitching in 2024. His more significant platoon split in 2025 likely puts a damper on those efforts, however, and he still figures to fit best on a team where he can be used as a part-time player. The Red Sox still make plenty of sense for his services given their heavily left-handed outfield mix. Having Refsnyder in the fold to complement Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Masataka Yoshida would go a long way to keeping Boston’s offense balanced next year.

There are a handful of other teams Refsnyder could make plenty of sense for as well, however. The Diamondbacks traded Randal Grichuk away at the deadline but have an outfield and DH mix that’s similarly heavy on lefties with Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, and Pavin Smith all playing roles. The Cubs could view Refsnyder as an upgrade over Justin Turner who could be deployed as a platoon partner for Moises Ballesteros or Owen Caissie in the event that one of those lefty-swinging rookies takes over Kyle Tucker’s spot in the Chicago lineup. The Royals and Guardians both struggled to get production out of their outfielders this year and could view Refsnyder as a way to significantly improve their offense without breaking the bank.

Red Sox Outright Isaiah Campbell, José De León

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The Red Sox have outrighted right-handers Isaiah Campbell and José De León to Triple-A Worcester, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates both players cleared waivers in recent days.

There was no previous indication that either player had been designated for assignment but these kinds of moves are common at this time of year, as most clubs are facing upcoming roster crunches. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the World Series, meaning several players need to retake 40-man spots. Some will also become free agents but many clubs often end up with more than 40 players in the mix. RosterResource estimates the Sox at 43 players, even with the assumption that Alex Bregman will opt out while Lucas Giolito and Liam Hendriks will have their mutual options declined. These two outrights drop them to 41, meaning another move will still be required at some point in the coming weeks, unless Trevor Story also opts out.

De Leon’s removal isn’t surprising. He spent 2025 with the Sox on a minor league deal. He was added to the 40-man roster on the last day of the regular season. The Sox had already clinched a playoff spot and had nothing on the line. De León was given the ball to soak up some innings, allowing Boston to save some of their other arms for the playoffs. He tossed 6 2/3, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out eight.

A former top prospect, his career has been severely sidelined by injuries, including two Tommy John surgeries. He debuted way back in 2016 but has just 72 big league innings under his belt. He logged 75 1/3 innings for Worcester in 2025 with a 6.93 earned run average, 24.6% strikeout rate and 14.4% walk rate. Players can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency if they have three years of big league service or a previous outright. De Leon qualifies on both accounts and should hit the open market soon.

This is Campbell’s first career outright and he doesn’t have three years of big league service. However, he was non-tendered after 2024, which should make him eligible for minor league free agency. The righty has 43 innings of big league experience. Most of that came with the 2023 Mariners. He was traded to the Red Sox going into 2024 for Luis Urías. The Sox have used him sparingly in the two seasons since, with fewer than ten appearances in each campaign. As mentioned, he was non-tendered after 2024 but then was re-signed via a minor league deal. He was added back to the 40-man in July.

His minor league track record is good but his results backed up this year. From 2021 to 2024, he tossed 105 2/3 innings on the farm with a 2.04 ERA, 29.6% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate. This year, it was 57 2/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate.

Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images

Coaching Notes: Varitek, Ramirez, Molina

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Jason Varitek has filled various roles for the Red Sox since he hung up his catching gear after the 2011 season. For the past five years, he has held a full-time role on Boston’s coaching staff. Initially, the team’s game planning coordinator, he later added catching coach to his duties. When the Red Sox hired Parker Guinn last offseason, Varitek’s title changed to game planning and run prevention coach for the 2025 campaign.

The three-year deal Varitek signed before the 2023 season expired at the end of this year, but MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reports that the Red Sox and their former captain are hammering out the details of a new contract. The “likeliest outcome,” according to Cotillo, is that Varitek will return in the same capacity in 2026. Earlier this week, Cotillo reported that all but one of Boston’s coaches were expected to return to their roles next season, with assistant hitting coach Ben Rosenthal the only exception.

Of course, the fact that Varitek has not yet signed a contract with the Red Sox leaves open the possibility that he could seek a more prominent role elsewhere. Several teams are still hunting for new managers, and while Varitek’s name hasn’t come up in many managerial rumors recently, the Giants reached out to him with interest in 2023, and he interviewed with the Mariners in 2015.

In other coaching news…

  • Another Red Sox great is looking to break into the coaching game. Nine-time Silver Slugger winner Manny Ramirez, who won two World Series titles alongside Varitek in Boston, has once again expressed his desire to become an MLB hitting coach, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman notes that Ramirez is “getting word out to all 30 teams” that he is interested and available. The 12-time All-Star reportedly offered his services as a hitting coach to one unspecified MLB manager last offseason (per MassLive’s Sean McAdam), but this is his most overt attempt to secure such a gig. His accomplishments on the field speak for themselves – a .312 batting average, 555 home runs, and 1,831 RBI – but his coaching experience is limited. He spent a few months as a player-coach for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2014 and continued on as an organizational hitting consultant through 2016. Years later, he signed on with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League as a player-coach for the 2020-21 campaign. However, COVID-19 delayed the start of the season, and Ramirez was eventually released two games into the year due to injuries. This past September, he told Foul Territory that he spoke to the Red Sox about a potential coaching opportunity last year, but their conversations never progressed to anything serious.
  • Yadier Molina, himself a former perennial All-Star and two-time World Series champion, has also thrown his hat in the proverbial ring for a coaching job. He posted a message on his Instagram account today saying that he is “ready to return to the field – whether as a coach or a manager – in MLB, Mexico, or wherever.” Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Molina’s desire to coach isn’t new information, but his comments today move up the timeline. Meanwhile, MLB.com’s John Denton reports that Molina has already had conversations with the Cardinals and manager Oliver Marmol about taking on a formal coaching role with the club. The nine-time Gold Glove winner returned to St. Louis this past summer as a guest coach for two games. At the time, he told reporters, including Denton, that coaching and managing were in his future plans, but that he was focusing on his family for the time being. He has, however, gained international managerial experience in recent years, including managing Team Puerto Rico at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He will return to manage the team in this winter’s upcoming WBC.

Alex Bregman Will Opt Out Of Red Sox Contract

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Alex Bregman will be opting out of his contract with the Red Sox, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He has two years and $80MM remaining on his deal, although some of that money is deferred.

Bregman, 31, is coming off a strong season in which he batted .273/.360/.462 with a 125 wRC+ in 114 games for Boston. After posting an uncharacteristically low 6.7% walk rate in 2024, he rebounded to 10.3% in 2025, while his strikeout rate increased only modestly to a still-excellent 14.1%. His batted ball metrics back up his performance, with his 90.1 mph average exit velocity and 44.4% hard-hit rate both representing career highs. Despite missing seven weeks in the first half of the season with a right quad injury, Bregman was worth 3.5 fWAR this year, ranking seventh among major league third basemen with a minimum of 400 plate appearances.

Defensively, Bregman graded out as above average, if a step down from his 2024 season. In 972 1/3 innings at third base, he was worth one Defensive Run Saved and three Outs Above Average in 2025, with Statcast valuing his range in the 83rd percentile. For comparison, he was worth 6 DRS and 8 OAA with the Astros last year. Defensive metrics are notoriously tricky, of course, but it appears Bregman remains a defensive asset as he continues into his 30s.

By opting out, Bregman is forgoing two years at a $40MM AAV. That figure is somewhat misleading, though, as $60MM of the $120MM total is deferred through 2035-46, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, which lowers the contract’s AAV significantly. In any case, Bregman will undoubtedly look to top that guarantee in his second straight trip to the free agent market. Prior to this year’s quad injury, he had three consecutive seasons of good health from 2022-24 and is a reasonable bet to stay healthy moving forward.

Under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and the MLB Players Association, Bregman is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer after receiving one from the Astros last offseason. A prospective team will not need to forfeit draft pick compensation to sign Bregman this time around. A look at our 2025-26 MLB Free Agents list shows Bregman as the clear headliner at third base, with Eugenio Suarez representing the next-best option. Suarez, 34, hit 49 home runs this season and matched Bregman’s 125 wRC+, but he’s three years older and an inferior defender.

Given the state of the market, his ineligibility for another qualifying offer, and his strong platform season, Bregman will likely be seeking a long-term contract this offseason. He reportedly sought a $200MM contract early last winter. He declined an early six-year, $156MM offer from the Astros and eventually turned down a six-year, $171.5MM proposal from Detroit late in the offseason. Heyman writes today that Bregman had countered with an offer in the $180MM range before taking the shorter deal with Boston at a much higher annual rate.

A reunion with the Red Sox is certainly possible, with the team having traded Rafael Devers to the Giants this past June. The team did not exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2024, although they appear on track to exceed this year’s $241MM threshold by several million, according to RosterResource. The team will see Steven Matz’s $12.5MM salary come off the books this offseason. They might also decline their end of Lucas Giolito’s $19MM mutual option depending on the severity of his recent elbow issue. Liam Hendriks underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery in September and will likely see his $12MM mutual option declined.

If the team runs a similar payroll in 2026 following this year’s postseason appearance, the club might make a run at re-signing Bregman. The Tigers and Cubs were both in on Bregman last winter and might be have some interest in him as well. The Cubs were reportedly only interested in Bregman on a short-term deal, though, and their incumbent third baseman, Matt Shaw, showed promise in his debut this year. In contrast, Tigers third basemen ranked 26th in the majors this year with a 76 wRC+ and would benefit substantially from a player of Bregman’s caliber. If Bregman departs Boston, the Red Sox could hand the reins to Marcelo Mayer or make a play for Suarez in free agency.

Twins Ask Permission To Interview Red Sox’s Bench Coach Ramon Vazquez

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The Twins have sought permission from the Red Sox to interview bench coach Ramón Vázquez in their managerial search, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. It’s standard practice for clubs to allow coaches or front office personnel to interview for potential promotions, so it’d be a shock if the Red Sox didn’t grant that request.

Vázquez, 49, would become the first known candidate to interview for the Minnesota position. A native of Puerto Rico, he played parts of nine MLB seasons across six clubs as a utility infielder during the 2000s. He has spent over a decade in the coaching ranks since ending his playing career. Vázquez worked as a minor league coach in the Houston system and spent a season on the Padres’ MLB staff before joining Alex Cora in Boston for the 2018 season. The Sox promoted him to bench coach three years ago.

Aside from one game filling in while Cora was attending his daughter’s graduation, Vázquez has no MLB managerial experience. He has managed in the Puerto Rican winter league and managed one season in A-ball while coming up through the Houston system. This would be his first publicly reported interview for an MLB managerial job.

The Twins are one of eight teams with a vacancy after firing Rocco Baldelli at season’s end. The team never really recovered from their late-season collapse in 2024, when they squandered a playoff berth despite peaking at 17 games above .500 in the middle of August. They had a 13-game winning streak early this past season but were otherwise a well below-average team.

After injuries decimated the starting rotation in June, they embarked on a massive deadline sell-off that sent Carlos Correa back to Houston for salary relief. The deadline also left Baldelli and his staff with a bullpen consisting mostly of waiver pickups and journeymen. The Twins went 19-35 in the final two months and finished with a 70-92 record that had them as the second-worst team in the American League. Only the White Sox, who lost over 100 games for a third straight year, kept Minnesota from the bottom of the AL.

An incoming manager seems likely to step into a rebuild. The Pohlad family had considered selling the franchise but reversed course in August, instead bringing on minority investors to pay down significant debt which the team had reportedly accrued. Their season-ending payroll has dropped in consecutive seasons (per Cot’s Baseball Contracts) following the collapse of their local broadcast contract. They have a handful of question marks at the bottom of the lineup and arguably MLB’s worst bullpen.

That won’t all be fixed in one offseason, meaning they should be active sellers this winter and at next summer’s deadline. Ryan Jeffers is headed into his final season of arbitration control. Joe Ryan is down to two arbitration years, while Pablo López is signed for two more seasons at $21.75MM annually. They could listen on role players like Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner as well. Minnesota added upper level starting pitchers (e.g. Mick Abel, Taj Bradley) in a couple of their trades last summer, so perhaps there’s a path back to contention in 2027, but they’re facing an uphill battle to compete next year.

Red Sox To Retain Most Of Coaching Staff, Part Ways With Assistant Hitting Coach Ben Rosenthal

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The Red Sox are parting ways with assistant hitting coach Ben Rosenthal, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. It’s possible that’ll be the only change to Alex Cora’s staff.

Rob Bradford of WEEI reported over the weekend that bench coach Ramón Vázquez, hitting coach Peter Fatse, pitching coach Andrew Bailey, bullpen coach Chris Holt, and base coaches José David Flores and Kyle Hudson would all be back. Cotillo reports that the same is true for assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, catching instructor Parker Guinn and game planning/run prevention coach Jason Varitek — assuming none of that group leave to pursue better opportunities with another club.

Rosenthal joined the Sox over the 2021-22 offseason. A former minor league player, Rosenthal had coached in college and in the Astros’ farm system before joining Boston’s MLB staff. For his first three seasons, Rosenthal worked alongside Luis Ortiz as an assistant hitting coach under Fatse. The Red Sox parted ways with Ortiz and added Lawson onto the MLB staff last season. It stands to reason they’ll now look for a new assistant hitting coach to split duties with Lawson.

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