The Boston Red Sox will enter the 2025 MLB season with plenty of new faces, especially when it comes to the pitching staff.
Left-handed hurlers Garrett Crochet and Patrick Sandoval were both added to the mix this offseason, as was veteran righty Walker Buehler. That's without mentioning how 36-year-old flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman was signed to the bullpen while right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino was added on a minor-league deal earlier this week.
Even though most teams would be satisfied with those additions, that isn't the case for the Red Sox, who made another pitching-related signing as spring training continues.
Red Sox Sign Matt Moore to Minor League Contract
On Thursday, the Red Sox announced that they had signed veteran RHP Matt Moore to a minor-league contract. According to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, the 35-year-old southpaw had been on Boston's radar for quite some time.
"The Red Sox pursued Moore in previous offseasons, too," Cotillo wrote. "Like Ottavino, he'll have an end-of-camp opt-out if he isn't on the 40-man (roster) by then."
The Red Sox pursued Moore in previous offseasons, too. Like Ottavino, he'll have an end-of-camp opt-out if he isn't on the 40-man by then. https://t.co/06aswJmNgY
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 20, 2025
Moore is a well-traveled reliever who's made 369 appearances for eight different franchises since the start of the 2011 season. If his spring training bid is successful, the Red Sox would mark the fifth club the Walton Beach, FL native would have played for since 2023 alone.
Moore entered the MLB season looking for work following an abysmal performance with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. The former 2007 eighth-rounder failed to live up to his $9 million contract as he went 5-3 with a 5.03 ERA and 1.345 WHIP while allowing 2.0 home runs and 4.8 walks per nine innings.
Even though the Dodgers went on to win the World Series, Moore wasn't a part of that effort. He suffered a serious elbow injury in August and was transferred to the 60-day injured list less than a month later, ending his campaign before the postseason even began.
It was only in 2023 when Moore balled out with a 2.56 ERA and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 50 appearances, leaving time to tell if he can return to that form. The Red Sox would love nothing more than for that to be the case after finishing the 2024 season with the seventh-worst bullpen ERA (4.39) in the Majors.