Even as manager Alex Cora and baseball operations chief Craig Breslow played tug-of-war with disgruntled superstar Rafael Devers over his refusal to make the move to first base, 28-year-old Abraham Toro sparked the then-struggling Red Sox, going on an eight-game hitting streak and posting an .833 OPS with three home runs in the month of May, and went on to play an important role in Boston’s turnaround that ended with the first Red Sox playoff berth since 2021.
But as of Friday, according to his MLB.com transaction ledger, Toro has walked away from the Red Sox, choosing to become a free agent and sign with what would be his sixth team in eight seasons.
Toro was able to declare free agency less than two weeks after the end of the regular season because the 2016 Houston Astros fifth-round draft pick qualified for minor league free agency. That’s because the Red Sox designated him for assignment on Aug. 21, three days after they signed another first baseman, Nathaniel Lowe, who had been released by the Washington Nationals.
Boston then outrighted Toro to Triple-A Worcester, where he spent the remainder of the season. Toro became expendable to the Red Sox when he sunk into a lengthy second-half slump, with just a .488 OPS and .171 batting average and just two home runs between the All-Star break and his assignment to the minor leagues.
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In addition to being outrighted by their major league teams, players must have at least three years of MLB service time or multiple previous outright assignments on their resumés in order to qualify for minor league free agency, according to Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors.
Prospective major league free agents must wait until five days after the conclusion of the World Series before they are allowed to declare themselves eligible for the open market.
Despite his second-half slump, Toro is expected to sign with another team for 2026, and the possibility remains open that the Red Sox could re-acquire the veteran, who can play first, third or second base.
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