Former Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Matt Moore Lands Minor League Deal With Boston Red Sox

Matt Moore is a decade removed from being an All-Star starter for the Tampa Bay Rays, but the veteran has shown enough flashes as a reliever that the Boston Red Sox were willing to take a flier on him.

Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Moore (55) throws in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are signing left-handed pitcher Matt Moore to a minor league contract, WEEI's Rob Bradford reported Thursday afternoon.

Moore's deal includes an invitation to the Red Sox's big league spring training camp in Fort Myers, Florida. Pitchers and catchers reported back on Feb. 12, but Boston's Grapefruit League slate doesn't get underway until Saturday.

The 35-year-old southpaw has 13 MLB seasons under his belt, most recently pitching for the Los Angeles Angels in 2024. He inked a one-year, $9 million deal with the club last winter, only to go 5-3 with a 5.03 ERA, 1.345 WHIP, 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a -0.5 WAR across 51 games.

Moore ended last season on the injured list, hitting the shelf with left elbow soreness in late August.

Red Sox to sign Matt Moore to minors deal per source

— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) February 20, 2025

Moore got his start all the way back in 2007, when the Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the eighth round of that year's draft. He made his MLB debut in 2011, then became an All-Star and finished ninth in AL Cy Young voting at at the age of 24 in 2013.

After a strong start to 2014, Moore underwent Tommy John surgery that cost him the first half of the 2015 campaign as well. The Rays wound up trading Moore to the San Francisco Giants when he returned to full strength in 2016.

Moore led the National League in losses in 2017, then posted career-worst numbers across the board as a swingman with the Texas Rangers in 2018. The lefty claimed a spot in the Detroit Tigers' rotation to open 2019, only to undergo season-ending surgery on his right meniscus that April.

The Philadelphia Phillies gave Moore a shot in 2021 – after he spent 2020 racking up innings in Japan – only to see him post a 6.29 ERA as a part-time starter.

Moore moved to the bullpen full time in 2022, going 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA, 1.176 WHIP, 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.4 WAR with the Rangers. He bounced around between the Angels, Cleveland Guardians and Miami Marlins in 2023, posting a 5-1 record, 2.56 ERA, 1.158 WHIP, 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.8 WAR while collecting a $7.55 million salary.

Between 2022 and 2023, Moore was one of six MLB relievers to have an ERA under 2.21, a WHIP under 1.169 and at least 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings across at least 112 games.

Moore has made $53.1 million over the course of his MLB career. It remains to be seen how much he will make with the Red Sox, since that is dependent on whether or not he makes Boston's big league roster.

Boston already has a few veterans competing for spots in their bullpen, with Liam Hendriks, Aroldis Chapman and Garrett Whitlock expected to shoulder the load in high-leverage scenarios. Adam Ottavino, Sean Newcomb and Michael Fulmer are among the other notable non-roster invitees that Moore will have to compete with.

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