The Boston Red Sox have made another investment in their pitching staff, although this one might not pay immediate dividends.
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval is in agreement on a two-year, $18.25 million contract with the Red Sox, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports.
Red Sox fans will have to wait a bit to see Sandoval in action; he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in late June 2024 and is expected to miss the first half of the 2025 season, per Passan.
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Sandoval spent the previous six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 4.01 ERA in that span. After two consecutive seasons with an ERA over 5.00 to begin his career, the 28-year-old finished with a 3.62 ERA in 2021 and a career-low 2.91 ERA in 2022 with 151 strikeouts in 148.2 innings.
Sandoval also starred in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting a 1.23 ERA with eight strikeouts over two starts for Team Mexico, which finished in third place. He finished with a 4.11 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 144.2 innings during the 2023 season.
Sandoval was the Los Angeles Angels' Opening Day starter in 2024 but failed to find his footing with a 5.08 ERA over 16 starts prior to his injury. So, it appears the Red Sox are buying relatively low on the left-hander with hopes that he can bolster their rotation down the stretch in 2025 and make a bigger impact in 2026.
Multiple sources confirm the @JeffPassan report. Sandoval will make $5.5m in 2025 and $12.75M in 2026. Sox are still open to other rotation moves, but this provides potential late-season reinforcement and a rotation member for 2026. https://t.co/R8fG980QZ4
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) December 20, 2024
Boston's rotation is currently led by lefty ace Garrett Crochet -- whom the Red Sox acquired earlier this month in a blockbuster trade -- along with Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Garrett Whitlock and Lucas Giolito.
