Red Sox Sign Intriguing 12-Year Veteran To Boost Thin Bullpen For 2025 Season

Let the free agency bonanza begin!

Aug 27, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Justin Wilson (32) pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox aren't making any marquee moves just yet, but they've officially made their first signing for the 2025 season.

The Red Sox knew they needed to bolster a bullpen that ranked dead last in every major pitching category after the All-Star break, and they'll have to take a multi-pronged approach to doing so. In particular, they were short on left-handed pitching, with several hurlers being sent up and down from Triple-A to fill lefty roles.

They haven't yet signed Tanner Scott, the biggest lefty on the free-agent market, so no one believes the Red Sox are finished adding. However, they took a step on Thursday to add a little veteran insurance to their mix of lefties for 2025.

The Red Sox reportedly agreed to a deal with 12-year veteran lefty Justin Wilson, most recently of the Cincinnati Reds. Robert Murray of FanSided was first to report the news.

According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, the deal is a one-year guarantee for $2.25 million in base salary, plus up to an additional $750 thousand in bonuses.

Last season, Wilson had a 5.59 ERA in 60 appearances for the Reds. He did, however, strike out 51 batters in 46 2/3 innings (9.8 K/9), so there's potential for better stats if he can cut down on the loud contact.

Wilson relies primarily on a four-seam fastball, slider, and cutter, and had a 95th percentile chase rate in 2024. He allowed a .354 wOBA compared to a .318 xWOBA, so the advanced metrics support the theory that he was fairly unlucky, especially pitching in one of the worst pitcher's parks in the league.

Wilson turned 37 in August, so it's not as though the Red Sox are expecting him to be a building block for their bullpen of the future. But if Bailey and the pitching development staff can find a way to harness his strikeout stuff more effectively, perhaps Wilson can be a valuable member of the pitching staff in 2024.

Low-risk moves like this one aren't always going to steal the spotlight in November and December, but they can have a massive impact in the late summer and early fall. Red Sox fans aren't very familiar with Wilson yet, but if things pan out, perhaps they will be fairly soon.

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