The Red Sox are bringing back veteran reliever Adam Ottavino on a minor-league contract, as was first reported by The New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The deal comes with an invitation to major-league spring training.
Ottavino, who has already arrived at the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers, will earn a base salary of $2 million if he makes Boston’s major-league roster, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The 39-year-old will also have the ability to opt out of his contract and return to free agency if he is not added to the 40-man roster by the end of camp.
Ottavino previously pitched for the Red Sox in 2021 after being acquired from the Yankees in a rare trade between the division rivals that January. The right-hander posted a 4.21 ERA (3.96 FIP) with 71 strikeouts to 35 walks over 69 relief appearances (62 innings) in which opposing hitters batted .239 against him. He then signed with the Mets as a free agent and spent the last three seasons in Queens, most recently forging a 4.34 ERA (3.67 FIP) with 70 strikeouts to 23 walks across 60 outings (56 innings) in 2024. This offseason, he appeared in three games for the Toros del Este of the Dominican Winter League and allowed one earned run on four hits, zero walks, and two strikeouts over three innings.
A former 2006 first-round draft selection coming out of Northeastern, Ottavino broke in at the big-league level with the Cardinals in 2010 but did not truly establish himself until he was claimed off waivers by Colorado two years later. Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, the Brooklyn native owns a lifetime 3.33 ERA (3.53 FIP) with 847 strikeouts to 317 walks in 719 career relief appearances (720 2/3 innings) between the Rockies, Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets in the majors.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, Ottavino threw six different pitches with the Mets last season. The burly righty averaged 78.9 mph with his sweeper, 92.1 mph with his sinker, 87.9 mph with his cutter, 93.2 mph with his four-seamer (that topped out at 95.4 mph), 87.2 mph with his changeup, and 83.2 mph with his slider. He ranked in the 92nd percentile of all big leaguers in expected batting average (.198), the 88th percentile in average exit velocity (87.1 mph), the 86th percentile in strikeout rate (28.6 percent), the 84th percentile in expected ERA (3.19), and the 81st percentile in hard-hit rate (34.7 percent), according to Baseball Savant.
Ottavino, who does not turn 40 until November, becomes the 13th pitcher to receive a non-roster invite from the Red Sox this spring. For the time being, he will wear the No. 00 at camp after donning the No. 0 in his first stint with the club. That number has since been taken by Walker Buehler.
(Picture of Adam Ottavino: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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