The Boston Red Sox made plenty of improvements throughout the MLB offseason, especially when it came to the bullpen.
After all, the Red Sox's relievers were among the Majors' worst in 2024, pitching to a 4.39 bulpen ERA (24th). The lackluster performance forced chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to bolster his relief depth this offseason, bringing in the likes of Aroldis Chapman, Matt Moore, and Adam Ottavino to help turn the situation around.
Even though Opening Day 2025 is less than a month away, Breslow just made it clear that he isn't finished upgrading Boston's bullpen.
Red Sox Sign Former Yankees RHP Nick Burdi to Minor League Contract
The Red Sox were hard at work late Friday night, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo, signing former New York Yankees right-handed pitcher Nick Burdi to a minor-league contract. Cotillo later confirmed that the veteran hurler "is not a non-roster invitee on the big league side."
It's Friday night at 11:30, but the Red Sox signed someone, I wrote about it and I bet you're going to read about it, too:https://t.co/hqRAlx9qZs
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 1, 2025
Burdi, 32, is looking for a fresh start after dealing with injuries throughout the majority of his career. The former 2014 second-rounder has only made 31 appearances across the last five MLB seasons due to a combination of two Tommy John surgeries, an emergency appendectomy, and other various ailments.
The Hinsdale, IL native most recently spent the 2024 season with the rival Yankees. Although he spent most of the year in Triple-A, Burdi stepped up whenever an MLB opportunity arose, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA while recording 12 strikeouts across 9 2/3 innings of work.
All of that work came earlier in the season, though, as he injured his hip in May and never played in a Yankees jersey again.
It'll be interesting to see if Burdi can return to that level as a part of the Red Sox organization. The ex-Louisville Cardinal is a flame-thrower who can rack up strike totals when he's on his game, but he'll never get a chance to consistently prove that if he can't stay healthy.
Due to his joining the team late, expect Burdi to begin the 2025 season with Triple-A Worcester as he tries to earn an MLB call-up later in the campaign.