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Red Sox Targeting Left-Handed Bullpen Help

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The Red Sox are scouring the bullpen market for free agent southpaws, and MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports that Tim Mayza and Cionel Perez are two of the left-handers on the team’s radar.  Boston has also maintained interest in Justin Wilson and Danny Coulombe, as Cotillo initially reported last month.

Wilson is the most known quantity for the Sox, as he posted a 3.35 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate, and 9.7% walk rate over 48 1/3 innings out of the Boston pen in 2025.  While the walk rate was on the high side and Wilson’s fastball velocity dropped from 95.5mph in 2024 to 94.5mph last year, it was still a very solid season for Wilson, and a sign that he is now fully recovered from the injuries that basically erased his entire 2022-23 seasons.

One complication for the Red Sox and any other suitor pursuing Wilson is that the veteran isn’t entirely committed to pitching in 2026.  According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, Wilson wants “a fair deal with a legitimate World Series contender” and is willing to hang up his cleats after 13 Major League seasons if his demands aren’t met.

As Cotillo notes, Wilson and his agents at ACES could be using the retirement threat as leverage in contract talks.  That said, it also isn’t out of the question that Wilson is nearing the end of the line, after turning 38 years old last August.  Another one-year guarantee seems likely given Wilson’s age, and he is undoubtedly looking for a raise on the $2.25MM guarantee he received from the Red Sox on his deal for the 2025 campaign.

The Sox have seen plenty of Mayza and Perez over the years in AL East battles.  Mayza spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Blue Jays and Yankees before pitching with the Pirates and Phillies in 2025, and Perez has worked out of the Orioles’ bullpen from 2022-25.  Either pitcher could be had on a one-year contract and perhaps not even a guaranteed big league deal, as Mayza and Perez are both looking to bounce back from rough 2024-25 seasons.

Mayza (who turns 34 next week) had a 3.78 ERA over only 16 2/3 innings in 2025, as a lat strain and a teres major strain kept him on the injured list for much of the year.  He likely would’ve been a deadline trade candidate if healthy, and the Pirates put him on the waiver wire at the end of August, with Philadelphia claiming the veteran to add bullpen depth for the stretch run.  Mayza had only a 4.91 ERA in his eight games and 7 1/3 IP with the Phils, and he wasn’t included on their playoff roster.

Perez seemingly broke out with a tremendous 1.40 ERA over 57 2/3 relief innings for Baltimore in 2022, but his results have steadily declined over the past three seasons.  The bottom completely fell out for Perez last year, as he had an 8.31 ERA and almost as many walks (18) as strikeouts (21) over 21 2/3 innings.  Perez hasn’t pitched in the majors since late May, when the Orioles designated the lefty for assignment and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Coulombe has a 2.38 ERA — the ninth-lowest ERA of any pitcher who has tossed at least 130 Major League innings (Coulombe has 136 1/3 IP).  A 26% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate support this excellent bottom-line number, though Coulombe struggled after being dealt from the Twins to the Rangers at last year’s trade deadline.

Coulombe turned 36 in October so he’ll likely be limited to one-year offers as well this winter, but he is still drawing a good deal of interest.  Rosenthal and Sammon write that five teams are in on Coulombe, which may or may not include the Red Sox.

Aroldis Chapman is the top southpaw in Boston’s bullpen, but with Chapman set to operate as the closer, the Sox are in need of at least one experienced left-hander to work in a more situational capacity.  Jovani Moran projects as the top non-Chapman option amongst Boston’s current bullpen mix, but Moran has a 5.44 ERA over 46 1/3 innings since the start of the 2023 season, and he missed most of the last two years recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Chris Martin Planning To Pitch In 2026

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In September 2024, Chris Martin said that he was “95%” sure that 2025 would be his final season before retirement.  It appears as that five percent chance of a return has now grown into a reality, as MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports that Martin is planning to return in 2026 for his 11th MLB season.  The Red Sox have interest in Martin for what would be a return engagement between the two sides, as Martin pitched for Boston during the 2023-24 seasons.

Martin spent the 2025 season with the Rangers on a one-year, $5.5MM deal, and the fact that the Arlington native turned down larger offers from the Red Sox and other teams to join the Rangers only added to the narrative of what seemed to be a farewell season.  The right-hander delivered yet another strong season, posting a 2.98 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate, and an elite 4.6% walk rate over 42 1/3 innings out of the Texas bullpen.

For the second straight season, Martin made multiple trips to the injured list.  The righty missed time due to right shoulder fatigue, a left calf strain, and (most troublingly) thoracic outlet syndrome, with the TOS diagnosis emerging in September.  Since the assumption was that Martin was retiring, there wasn’t any word on whether or not Martin underwent TOS surgery, but it would appear he is foregoing the procedure or his diagnosis wasn’t serious enough to require surgery.

Between the TOS situation, Martin’s other recent injuries, or the simple fact that he turns 40 in June, there is certainly some question about whether Martin can continue to defy Father Time.  That said, Martin is still one of baseball’s best control pitchers and he is still getting strong results, so it makes sense that he would still want to keep playing as long as he still has gas in the tank.

Since he pitched for the Red Sox so recently, Boston has plenty of direct knowledge of Martin’s health, and the team is therefore ideally suited to perhaps manage Martin’s usage in order to keep him as healthy as possible in 2026.  A one-year deal for Martin on a modest salary wouldn’t represent much of a risk for the Red Sox, and the upside is high if Martin can stay off the IL and keep posting his usual numbers.  The Sox are known to be looking for experienced bullpen help, and Cotillo reported yesterday that other former Boston hurler Justin Wilson is another reunion candidate, plus left-hander Danny Coulombe drawing interest.

Red Sox Sign Justin Wilson

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The Red Sox announced they’ve added lefty reliever Justin Wilson on a one-year contract. Boston had an opening on the 40-man roster, which is now at capacity. Wilson, an ACES client, is reportedly guaranteed $2.25MM on a deal that offers another $750K in incentives. He’d earn $150K apiece for reaching 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 appearances.

Wilson, 37, has a lengthy track record in the majors but has struggled with injuries in recent seasons. He returned from Tommy John surgery last year to pitch 46 2/3 innings for Cincinnati but was tagged for an unsightly 5.59 earned run average in that time. A good portion of those struggles were due to spikes in his average on balls in play and home run rate, the latter of which was directly influenced by the hitter-friendly nature of his home park in Cincinnati. Seven of the ten homers surrendered by Wilson last year came at Great American Ball Park, which has been far and away MLB’s most homer-friendly setting over the past three seasons, per Statcast’s Park Factors. (Boston’s Fenway Park is right in the middle of the pack at No. 16.)

Wilson’s run-prevention numbers were uninspiring, but his rate stats were far more encouraging. Both his 24.4% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate were better than league average. The 95.5 mph he averaged on his four-seamer was the second-best mark of his career, trailing only his 95.9 mph average in 2017. The 92.3 mph he averaged on his cutter was a career-high. Metrics like xFIP (3.99) and SIERA (3.41), which normalize a pitcher’s homer-to-flyball rate, both feel Wilson is a strong bet to rebound in 2025 if he can continue at his 2024 pace.

From 2015-20, Wilson was one of the most consistently effective lefties in the game. He appeared in 344 games between the Yankees, Tigers, Cubs and Mets during that span, totaling 291 innings of 3.41 ERA ball with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate. His command looked far better than usual in his ’24 showing with the Reds, and his ability to miss bats didn’t seem overly compromised. The veteran Wilson is no stranger to late-inning work, having picked up 142 holds and 20 saves in his 12 major league seasons.

Entering the offseason, Brennan Bernardino was the only lefty reliever who could be comfortably projected for Boston’s 2025 bullpen. Fellow southpaws Bailey Horn, Cam Booser and Chris Murphy are on the 40-man roster as well. However, Murphy had Tommy John surgery last year and won’t be ready for Opening Day. Horn and Booser come with little to no big league experience of which to speak. Wilson will provide skipper Alex Cora with a seasoned veteran who’s still capable of missing bats and, if he can get back to pre-surgery levels of run prevention, could eventually emerge as a viable leverage option at a bargain price point.

Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report that Wilson and the Red Sox had an agreement. Rob Bradford of WEEI first reported it was a one-year major league deal with a $2.25MM base salary and $750K in incentives. Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reported the specific incentive structure.

Reds Likely To Trade From Bullpen Depth

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The Reds are telling teams they plan to trade from their bullpen, report C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. That is not yet a signal about their deadline direction, though. According to the report, Cincinnati anticipates having a bullpen surplus as they expect Emilio Pagán and Ian Gibaut to return from the injured list next month.

Cincinnati has somewhat quietly had one of the better bullpens in the league. Reds relievers rank seventh with a 3.52 earned run average and are eighth with a 24.5% strikeout rate. The relief group had been a recurring problem before turning into one of the team’s strengths this year. Swingman Nick Martinez has thrived when working from the ’pen. Fernando Cruz has developed into one of the league’s better strikeout arms, while underrated lefty Sam Moll has continued to excel after coming over from the A’s at last year’s deadline.

The Reds don’t have a ton of maneuverability with their relief group. Cruz and Moll have locked down two spots with their performance. Closer Alexis Díaz has been inconsistent, but Cincinnati isn’t going to send him down. Justin Wilson, Buck Farmer and Lucas Sims all have the requisite service time to decline a minor league assignment. Cincinnati can’t option Tony Santillan back to the minors after selecting his contract two weeks ago.

That leaves one bullpen spot with a five-man rotation. Martinez is currently working from the starting five but could slide back to the ’pen once Carson Spiers returns from the injured list. That’d essentially complete the bullpen without having any obvious candidates to bounce between Great American Ball Park and Triple-A Louisville.

If they needed a fresh arm at that point, the Reds could designate someone for assignment. While Farmer has a 2.80 ERA over 45 innings, his strikeout and walk profile is pedestrian. Santillan had spent virtually the entire season in Triple-A, but The Athletic writes that the Reds view him as a key piece and would not want to put him back on waivers. Cincinnati could get Gibaut, Pagán and lefty Brent Suter back from injury later in the season.

While they’ll likely deal with other injuries along the way, the Reds obviously won’t be able to make any trades after next Tuesday. It seems they’re preemptively trying to get something in return for at least one or two of their relievers rather than lose players via waivers in August. The most obvious candidates for such a move are their impending free agents: Sims, Farmer and Wilson.

None of that trio would bring back a significant return. Sims, who is playing on a $2.85MM arbitration salary, has the highest ceiling of that group. He misses bats and has worked in a high-leverage capacity for the last few seasons, but he issues too many walks to be an in-demand trade chip. Sims is handing out free passes at a 13% clip over 33 frames this year after walking more than 15% of batters faced last season.

Wilson missed virtually all of 2022-23 because of Tommy John surgery and a lat injury. He returned this year with his typical velocity and has fanned more than a quarter of opponents with a 5.2% walk rate. A .365 average on balls in play has led to an unimpressive 4.85 ERA, but the 36-year-old is a fine option for teams seeking another left-hander in middle relief. Wilson is making a $1.5MM base salary.

Martinez is making $14MM this year and has a $12MM player option for next season. He’s pitching well, turning in a 3.88 ERA with excellent control over 72 frames. The fairly lofty salary and ’25 player option could lead teams to look elsewhere, though. It’s also not clear if the Reds want to deal Martinez, whose versatility they could value if they still anticipate making a playoff push.

General manager Nick Krall told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday that the front office had not decided on their overall deadline outlook. They’re five games under .500 and in last place in the NL Central, yet they’re within 4.5 games of a Wild Card spot in a wide open National League. Cincinnati’s game against the Braves tonight was rained out. They’ll make it up with a doubleheader on Wednesday. They play a weekend set in Tampa Bay and one game against the Cubs before the deadline.

Reds Sign Justin Wilson To Major League Deal

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The Reds announced Friday that they’ve signed left-hander Justin Wilson to a one-year deal. The ACES client will be guaranteed $1.5MM on a contract that includes an additional $1MM in possible incentives. Cincinnati already had an opening on the 40-man roster, so no further move was necessary. Manager David Bell told reporters that another lefty reliever, Alex Young, will open the season on the 15-day injured list with a back issue.

Wilson, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers about a month ago. He pitched fairly well in the spring, striking out nine hitters in four official innings, but he seemed blocked from making a stacked Dodger bullpen. He opted out of that deal earlier this week.

Cracking the bullpen in Cincinnati should be easier. Brent Suter is one lefty option but they are otherwise shorthanded in that department. Sam Moll was slowed by some shoulder soreness when he reported to camp and has yet to pitch in an official spring game. Now that Young is also injured, Suter was the only healthy lefty reliever on the roster until this Wilson signing.

Wilson is coming off a couple of injury-marred seasons. After making just five appearances in 2022, he required Tommy John surgery in June of that year. While rehabbing, he signed with the Brewers for 2023. But after being activated off the injured list in July last year, he suffered a lat injury while warming up in the bullpen. He went right back on the IL and wasn’t able to come back, meaning he didn’t make an official big league appearance last year.

But prior to that, he was an effective big league reliever for about a decade. He pitched for the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets and Reds from 2012 to 2021, posting a 3.42 earned run average in 522 appearances. He punched out 25.7% of batters who came to the plate, walking 10.7% of them and kept 46.8% of balls in play on the ground. He earned some leverage work in that time, getting 18 saves and 132 holds.

Though he missed the last couple of campaigns, Wilson is healthy now and brings a solid track record to the Reds. He and Suter should be the club’s lefty relief duo, at least until Moll and Young get healthy.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Reds and Wilson had agreed to a major league contract. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer had previously relayed that Wilson was in Reds’ camp. MLBTR’s Steve Adams was first to report the deal contained a $1.5MM base salary with an additional $1MM in performance bonuses.

Justin Wilson Opts Out Of Minors Deal With Dodgers

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Left-hander Justin Wilson has opted out of his minor league deal with the Dodgers, per MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The ACES client is once again a free agent.

Wilson, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last month. Wilson’s official spring stat line currently includes nine strikeouts and two walks in four innings, allowing two earned runs.

Despite that fairly solid showing, he was likely going to find it tough to crack a strong bullpen for the Dodgers. Manager Dave Roberts said last week that righty Daniel Hudson, also on a minor league deal, would make the team. Hudson would join a bullpen that also consists of options like Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Ryan Yarbrough, J.P. Feyereisen and others. Graterol has some hip tightness and may miss the Seoul Series but doesn’t seem in line for a lengthy absence.

It seems Wilson felt he would be better off by returning to the open market and looking for opportunities elsewhere. It wasn’t previously reported that he had an opt-out in his deal but it seems there was one there for him to use. He can market himself based on his lengthy track record, though he is coming off two mostly lost seasons. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2022, which limited him to just 3 2/3 innings that year. He signed with the Brewers for 2023 and was activated off the injured list at the end of July, but he suffered a lat strain before getting into a game and went right back on the shelf. He wasn’t able to return later in the year.

From 2012 to 2021, Wilson made 522 big league appearances with a 3.42 earned run average. He struck out 25.7% of batters faced, gave out walks at a 10.7% clip and kept 46.8% of balls in play on the ground. He racked up 18 saves and 132 holds in that time, pitching for the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets and Reds.

Though he missed the last couple of years due to injury, he appears to be healthy now. Left-handed relief tends to always be in demand so Wilson will gauge the market and try to find the best opportunity for himself. He’ll join Brad Hand, Aaron Loup and Jarlín García as some of the southpaw relievers currently in free agency.

Dodgers, Justin Wilson Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to a deal with free-agent lefty Justin Wilson, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. It’ll be a minor league pact with a spring training invite for the ACES client, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic adds.

Wilson, 36, has been limited to just 3 2/3 innings over the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a lat strain. That brief sample of work came with the Reds and saw Wilson create some intrigue with a bump back to his peak velocity levels (95.1 mph average fastball). He faced only 13 hitters as a Red but fanned seven of them and didn’t issue a walk. Surgery cut his season short, however, and he signed with the Brewers on a one-year deal with an option. The TJS rehab and subsequent lat strain wound up combining to keep Wilson off a big league mound for the entirety of the 2023 season.

Prior to those health setbacks, Wilson had enjoyed a lengthy run as a quality setup man for the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs and Mets. From 2013-21, the lefty rattled of 458 2/3 innings of 3.43 ERA ball with 132 saves and 18 holds. He’s never had great command (career 10.7% walk rate), but Wilson has fanned just shy of 26% of hitters in his MLB career and sat north of 29% with his strikeout rate from 2017-20 after shelving his sinker and ramping up the usage of his four-seamer.

The Dodgers lost some left-handed depth in the bullpen this winter, trading Victor Gonzalez and Caleb Ferguson to the Yankees in separate swaps. Alex Vesia and Ryan Yarbrough are currently slated to manager Dave Roberts’ left-handed options in the ’pen, with fellow southpaw Matt Gage also on the 40-man roster (and still possessing a minor league option). Wilson and veteran T.J. McFarland give the Dodgers a pair of experienced lefty relievers who’ll be non-roster invitees in camp. They’ll be joined by NRI righties Daniel Hudson, Dinelson Lamet, Nabil Crismatt and Jesse Hahn, among others, in looking to win a spot in a crowded Dodgers bullpen.

Brewers Decline Options On Andrew Chafin, Justin Wilson

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The Brewers have declined their options on left-handed relievers Andrew Chafin and Justin Wilson, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

Chafin, a 33-year-old lefty reliever, lingered on the free agent market last winter until mid-February.  He signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal to return to the Diamondbacks, the team that made him a first-round pick out of Kent State nearly 12 years prior.  Chafin took a share of Arizona’s closing duties this year, logging eight saves but with some rough outings along the way.  He was able to punch out nearly a third of batters faced with Arizona, but also walked 12% of them.  Having added Paul Sewald from the Mariners, the D’Backs shipped Chafin to Milwaukee for righty Peter Strzelecki.

Chafin struggled mightily with the Brewers, unable to curb the walks or maintain a healthy strikeout rate.  In a stretch in late August, Chafin was battered for nine earned runs in 3 1/3 innings spanning five outings.  He righted the ship in September, at least ERA-wise, but the southpaw’s $725K buyout was an easy call for the Brewers as compared to his $7.25MM club option.

Wilson, another veteran lefty, did not pitch in 2023.  He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022, after which the Brewers signed him on a $1MM guarantee.  The Brewers reinstated Wilson from the 60-day IL in late July, but before he could get into a game he went back to the IL with a lat strain.  That injury knocked him out for the rest of the season, leaving little chance Milwaukee would choose the $2.5MM club option over his $150K buyout.

Chafin and Wilson will join the free agent market for lefty relievers, and figure to sign one-year deals.

The Brewers do have some lefty depth in the bullpen, as Hoby Milner posted a fine 2023 season.  Aaron Ashby, who underwent April labrum surgery, wasn’t able to build back up to help the Brewers this year but should be good to go in Spring Training.  Ashby is a potential rotation candidate as well.

Brewers Reinstate Bennett Sousa

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The Brewers reinstated reliever Bennett Sousa from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Nashville, per the transaction log at MLB.com. Milwaukee transferred Justin Wilson from the 15-day to the 60-day IL to clear the necessary 40-man roster spot.

Sousa missed a couple months with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder. Acquired from the division-rival Reds in April, the 28-year-old southpaw has made a pair of appearances for the Brew Crew this season. He’s logged 16 innings with Nashville, allowing 10 runs (nine earned). He’s fanned 22 hitters at the top minor league level. Milwaukee acquired Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline to pair with Hoby Milner as left-handed options for Craig Counsell. Now that he’s healthy, Sousa is in the mix behind them.

Wilson’s brutally-timed injury could well have increased Milwaukee’s urgency to trade for Chafin. The veteran lefty strained a lat while warming up for what would’ve been his first appearance after a Tommy John rehab. He’ll miss the remainder of the season and seems quite likely to be bought out next winter, meaning he might never make an appearance as a Brewer.

Justin Wilson Won’t Pitch Again In 2023

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When the Brewers placed Justin Wilson on the 15-day injured list on July 29, it was expected that the southpaw was in for another lengthy absence.  Manager Craig Counsell described Wilson’s left lat strain as “pretty significant” at the time, and Counsell updated reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) on Friday that Wilson will indeed miss the rest of the 2023 season.

Wilson’s year will end without a single MLB appearance, as his time on the Brewers’ active roster was short-lived.  Milwaukee only activated Wilson from the 60-day IL on July 28, as the left-hander was returning from Tommy John surgery rehab.  Unfortunately, Wilson was warming up in the bullpen for his first appearance of the season when he suffered his lat strain, thus ending his Brewers debut before it officially happened.  Between this injury and the TJ surgery, Wilson has only pitched in five games (for 3 2/3 innings) since the start of the 2022 season.

The Brew Crew signed Wilson to a one-year free agent deal last offseason worth $1MM in guaranteed money — $850K in salary for 2023, and a $150K buyout of a $2.5MM club option for 2024.  The contract was designed to give Milwaukee some flexibility if Wilson ended up missing most or all of the season due to Tommy John rehab, so in theory, the lat strain shouldn’t much change the original equation for the team.  On the other hand, $2.5MM is a decent amount of money for a medium-payroll team to spend on a veteran (Wilson turns 36 this month) reliever who hasn’t pitched in almost two full seasons.  This isn’t a decision the Brewers will have to make until after the World Series is over, so there’s plenty of time for the club to monitor Wilson’s recovery from the lat injury.

In better injury news for the Brewers, Counsell said that Rowdy Tellez is slated to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday.  Tellez hasn’t played since July 4, as a 10-day IL stint that started due to forearm inflammation was then extended when Tellez broke the fingertip on his left ring finger in a fluke accident while shagging fly balls before a game.

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