After missing the playoffs last season, the Boston Red Sox are under tremendous pressure to improve their roster to make a deeper run in 2025. They have been linked to practically every big-name free agent on the market at one point or another this offseason, including yet-to-be-signed sluggers Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso.
Meanwhile, there are still several former Red Sox floating around on the free agent market. While the odds that we see any of them back in Boston next season are slim at best, it’s worth keeping an eye on where they end up in 2025 — and how often the Red Sox will have to face them.
7 Red Sox still without a job heading into the 2025 season
Nick Pivetta
Nick Pivetta bet on himself when he decided to decline Boston’s $21.05 million qualifying offer and test the market in free agency, but it’s a decision he may come to regret. The 31-year-old right-hander remains unsigned, likely driving his price down with each passing day. Even with a career ERA of 4.76 over eight seasons, Pivetta will likely still get a hefty pay increase over the $7.5 million he made in 2024. Still, it appears that he misjudged the market for his services, especially now that plenty of potential suitors have dropped out of the running.
Kenley Jansen
After two seasons with the Red Sox, veteran closer Kenley Jansen is back on the free agent market. He turned 37 in September, but his 2024 numbers were still impressive enough to land him a closing job in 2025. Jansen pitched to an ERA of 3.29 with 27 saves in 31 chances last season, the second of his two-year, $32 million contract. He’s made it clear that he wants to close, and he wants to pitch for a contender. As long as the shoulder injury that sidelined him in late September has cleared up, he shouldn’t have any problem finding a new home in 2025.
Alex Verdugo
Alex Verdugo, who spent four seasons in Boston from 2020-23, is coming off a down 2024 season with the New York Yankees. A former second-round pick and top prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he got off to a hot start at the plate last season but finished with a slash line of just .233/.291/.356. Verdugo’s poor 2024 season and the overall lack of pop in his bat haven’t helped his value in free agency. FanSided’s Robert Murray recently linked him to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have one of the smallest payrolls in the league, so he could be looking at a one-year “prove-it” deal in the hopes of improving his value the next time he hits free agency.
Justin Turner
Justin Turner, who spent one season in Boston in 2023, is entering free agency for the third consecutive offseason. Even at age 40, Turner has a proven ability to put up above-average results as a designated hitter, and he can provide valuable veteran experience to one of the league’s younger clubhouses. He slashed .259/.354/.383 last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, and he will likely be looking to sign another one-year deal in 2025.
J.D. Martinez
Another former Red Sox slugger with a World Series championship on his resume is J.D. Martinez, who spent five seasons in Boston from 2018-22. Like Turner, Martinez’s best years are already behind him, but he is only one season removed from a 22-homer campaign with the Dodgers in 2023. Even though his production took a dip in 2024 when he signed with the New York Mets, the 37-year-old Martinez can be a replacement-level bat at worst and an All-Star power hitter at best.
Joe Kelly
Right-handed reliever Joe Kelly played in Boston from 2014-18, helping the Red Sox win a World Series in his final season with the club. He pitched for the Dodgers last season but did not find his way onto their postseason roster en route to their World Series victory in October. Kelly will turn 37 in June, and there had been speculation that he might retire after the 2024 campaign. However, he still wants to pitch, and for the right price, a team looking for veteran bullpen experience would be fortunate to have him.
Kiké Hernández
Kiké Hernández was Kelly’s teammate on the 2024 World Series champion Dodgers, but they just missed each other in Boston. Hernández played in parts of three seasons for the Red Sox from 2021-23, until he was traded back to Los Angeles, where he spent the bulk of his Major League career. At first, it appeared that Hernández might re-sign with the Dodgers in 2025, but their signing of Hyeseong Kim made that less likely. Still, he should have no problem finding a new home in free agency, and he has already been linked to the Yankees.
