The Boston Red Sox had one of the busiest offseasons in the MLB. Before finally winning the Alex Bregman sweepstakes, the Red Sox revamped the rotation with notable additions of Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler. The bullpen was also reshaped with the signings of Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson earlier in the offseason.
Since then, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been highlighting his desire to add one more reliever to the mix. On Tuesday, the Red Sox added a veteran arm to fill that need.
Per Nick O'Malley and Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Red Sox are signing 39-year-old Adam Ottavibo to a minor league deal that includes a camp invite.
The Red Sox are bringing back Adam Ottavino on a minor league deal, per @JonHeyman.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 18, 2025
Story via @nickjomalley here:https://t.co/ITlMsJZ7qj
MLB News: Red Sox Sign Adam Ottavino
This is a return to Boston for Ottavino, who spent the 2021 season with the Red Sox and helped them reach the American League Championship series. During that regular season, the veteran pitcher made 69 appearances for Boston, all in relief. He was excellent for much of the campaign before falling off a little down the stretch. He had a 7–3 record with 11 saves and 4.21 ERA while striking out 71 batters in 62 innings. In the postseason, he made five relief appearances and allowed only one run in four innings.
After that season, he signed a deal with the Mets in free agency and spent the last three seasons there.
Ottavino is reportedly already at the Fenway South facility for spring training. Per the report, he will receive a $2 million salary if he makes the major league team. If he doesn't, he will have a chance to test free agency again.
For his career, Ottavino has a 3.49 ERA across 743 innings in 724 games, with 46 saves and 859 strikeouts. He is a proven arm who can still play at a high level. How much longer he can do it with his age, however, remains to be seen.