The Boston Red Sox continued to build out their pitching depth on Friday by adding a starter, albeit one who won’t be ready for the start of the season.
The Red Sox agreed to a two-year, $18.25 million deal with left-hander Patrick Sandoval, league sources confirmed to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Source confirms: Free-agent LHP Patrick Sandoval in agreement with Red Sox on two-year, $18.25M contract. Coming off TJ, should be ready for second half. First: @JeffPassan
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 20, 2024
The 28-year-old Sandoval, who had Tommy John surgery in June and is still rehabbing, is expected to be ready some time in the second half of the season. The Red Sox are still exploring adding top-of-the-rotation starters to their current mix, but Sandoval’s addition further builds out the club’s depth.
The deal marks the third time since joining the Red Sox in October 2023 that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has signed players in the middle of rehabs from elbow surgery. Last offseason, Breslow signed Liam Hendriks and Michael Fulmer to two-year deals while both were recovering from elbow surgery with the intent of them contributing more in the second year of the deal. The idea behind the agreement is to sign a pitcher with a solid track record on lower terms before he hits the market fully recovered from the surgery.
While the deal with Sandoval does nothing to help the Red Sox in the near term, it further solidifies the club’s depth options. Prior to surgery in June, Sandoval had posted a 5.08 ERA in 16 starts for the Los Angeles Angels, his worst year since 2020, likely a result of the elbow issues. Sandoval had posted a 3.50 ERA in 55 starts between 2022 and 2023 for the Angels. Over six seasons, Sandoval has a career 4.01 ERA in 107 games, 100 starts, with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate and 10.1 percent walk rate. Sandoval’s fastball and sinker sit in the 93-94 mph range along with a slider and changeup.
According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Sandoval will earn $5.5 million in 2025 and $12.75 million in 2026.
(Photo: Thomas Shea / USA Today)
