Red Sox $13.5 Million Vet 'Open' To Return To Boston In 2025

Could the Red Sox bring the veteran back in 2025?

Jun 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bucket of baseballs sits on the grass before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox can start to turn their focus to the 2025 Major League Baseball campaign.

Boston took on the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the season. The Red Sox missed the playoffs but did take a step in the right direction. While this is the case, the club now will need to go back to the drawing board.

The Red Sox will make additions this winter. Boston will lose some players. All in all, things will change as the club looks to maximize its young talent and get back to the playoffs in 2025. Boston will have a handful of free agents that it needs to make decisions about. Some will leave -- with closer Kenley Jansen likely being the most likely. But others could stay.

Fellow reliever Chris Martin reportedly is open to a return to Boston for the 2025 season, according to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier.

"Chris Martin is now in for the 8th, in what could be his last game with the Red Sox," Speier said. "He said he's open to returning - a willingness driven by his view that the Sox can be in the thick of the race next year."

Martin has been one of the team's most consistent players overall over the last two years. He signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal with Boston ahead of the 2023 season and has responded by logging a 2.19 ERA across 99 outings entering Sunday's season finale.

Although he has shined, he is nearing the end of his big-league career and is projected to receive a deal worth just over $1 million. If he is available for that price, it would be a no-brainer to bring him back.

More MLB: Red Sox Star Blasted By Teammates After Making Surprising Decision