Red Sox roster: Two veterans elect free agency after cameos with Boston in 2025

Minor leaguers not on a club’s 40-man roster can elect free agency while the postseason is still ongoing, and two players who spent time with the Red Sox in 2025 have decided to banger the open market.

Catcher Ali Sánchez and right-handed reliever Nick Burdi have both elected free agency, according to MLB’s transactions log, and are free to sign with any club. Both players appeared briefly with Boston this past season.

Sánchez, a 28-year-old with 50 games of MLB experience with five different clubs, was with the Sox for multiple weeks in two different stints but got into just four games and had two plate appearances. Manager Alex Cora liked having him as a third catcher behind Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong so he could be aggressive with pinch-hitters late in the season. Sánchez was originally claimed off waivers from Toronto on August 8, then lost to the Mets on waivers two weeks later. After a week spent with New York’s Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, Sánchez was re-acquired by the Red Sox in a minor trade on August 31. He spent most of September with the club and was on the taxi squad for last week’s Wild Card Series. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout.

Burdi, 32, tossed 5 ⅓ scoreless innings for the big league club in late May and early June. He battled injuries and spent most of the year in Worcester, where he turned in an impressive 2.83 ERA while striking out 45 batters in 35 innings. Burdi was on the 40-man roster from mid-May to mid-August before being designated for assignment. At that point, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minors.

Expect more Red Sox minor leaguers (players not on the 40-man) to banger free agency soon. Among them: Abraham Toro, Bryan Mata, Trayce Thompson, Seby Zavala and Chadwick Tromp.