The Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with free-agent right-hander Patrick Halligan, as was first reported by Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com. It does not appear as though the deal comes with an invitation to major league spring training.
Halligan, 26, has never pitched in the majors. The Virginia native was originally selected by the Royals in the 13th round (397th overall) of the 2021 draft out of Pensacola State College (Fla.). He received a $132,500 signing bonus but spent just one full season in Kansas City’s system before being released in March 2023.
Days after being cut loose by the Royals, Halligan latched on with the Braves and split the 2023 campaign between the High-A and Double-A levels while also pitching in the Arizona Fall League. The righty followed that up by putting together arguably his best professional season to date in 2024, as he forged a 3.02 ERA with 67 strikeouts to 25 walks in a career-high 41 appearances (one start) spanning 50 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Opposing hitters batted just .191 against him.
Following the start of the 2025 season, Halligan was dealt to the Astros on April 11 as the player to be named later in the trade that sent veteran reliever Rafael Montero to the Braves three days prior. He reported to Houston’s Double-A affiliate in Corpus Christi and worked his way up to Triple-A Sugar Land of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in mid-June. Though he surrendered six earned runs in four outings (4 2/3 innings) for the Space Cowboys before being sent back down on July 1, Halligan finished the year having posted a 3.48 ERA with 62 strikeouts to 21 walks in 35 relief appearances (51 2/3 innings) for the Hooks.
Altogether, Halligan owns a lifetime 4.34 ERA with 282 strikeouts to 104 walks over 146 career minor league outings (14 starts) totaling 265 1/3 innings dating back to August 2021. That includes a 7.30 ERA with 10 strikeouts to 13 walks across 12 1/3 frames in parts of three seasons (2022, 2024-2025) at the Triple-A level.
Listed at an imposing 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Halligan fits the physical mold the Red Sox have sought in pitchers under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. In his four Triple-A appearances last year, the burly hurler featured a lower-90s four-seam fastball, a mid-80s slider, and a lower-80s splitter, per Prospect Savant.
It remains to be seen whether Halligan, who does not turn 27 until October, will start the 2026 season at Double-A Portland or Triple-A Worcester. Nonetheless, he is coming off an impressive stint in the Puerto Rican Winter League that saw him produce a 2.82 ERA with 30 strikeouts to six walks in 20 relief appearances (22 1/3 innings) for the Indios de Mayaguez. He has since joined the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League as a reinforcement for the playoffs there.
(Picture of Patrick Halligan: Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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