The Red Sox have signed right-handers Silvino Bracho and Darin Gillies to minor-league contracts for the 2022 season, the club announced on Sunday. The deals also include invites to major-league spring training.
Bracho, 29, is a veteran of five big-league seasons (2015-2018, 2020) with the Diamondbacks. He missed all of the 2019 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery that March and made just one appearance for Arizona in 2020 due to a bout with COVID-19 pandemic.
The Giants inked Bracho to a minors pact in December 2020 and he spent the entirety of the 2021 season with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, posting a 4.14 ERA and 5.19 FIP to go along with 65 strikeouts to 19 walks over 49 relief appearances spanning 50 innings of work.
A native of Venezuela, Bracho returned to his home country this off-season to pitch for Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League. The veteran righty yielded just a 1.99 ERA in 19 outings (22 2/3 innings) for Zulia before representing Venezuela in the Caribbean Series.
Listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, Bracho operates with a four-pitch mix that consists of a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and sinker, per Baseball Savant. He is out of minor-league options but should provide the Red Sox with intriguing and experienced bullpen depth at Triple-A Worcester.
Gillies, on the other hand, is another 29-year-old right-hander who was originally selected by the Mariners in the 10th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of the esteemed Arizona State University.
This past season, Gillies spent the first half of the year with Seattle’s Double-A affiliate in Arkansas before being promoted to Triple-A Tacoma in late July. With the Rainiers, he posted a 3.74 ERA and 5.09 FIP with 22 strikeouts to nine walks over 18 appearances (one start) and 21 2/3 innings pitched.
A native of California, Gillies became a minor-league free agent at the conclusion of the 2021 campaign after spending the first seven years of his professional career with the Mariners organization. The 6-foot-4, 220 pounder has yet to make his major-league debut, but he does throw up to 96-97 mph.
In addition to Bracho and Gillies, the Red Sox also announced that they had signed fellow righty Tyler Danish to a minor-league contract for the 2022 season. With these three officially on board, Boston has now invited 11 players to major-league camp as non-roster invitees.
They join the likes of pitchers Taylor Cole, Michael Feliz, and Zack Kelly, catcher Roldani Baldwin, infielders Roberto Ramos and Yolmer Sanchez, and outfielders Rob Refsnyder and Christin Stewart.
(Picture of Silvino Bracho: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)