Ex-Red Sox World Series Champion Cuts Ties With Braves After 13th Season

Will this decorated career see one more season?

Jul 25, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; A view of a Atlanta Braves batting helmet during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

There is a surprisingly high number of 2018 Boston Red Sox still kicking around Major League Baseball.

Names like Chris Sale, Mookie Betts, and Nathan Eovaldi will always get the most attention from Red Sox fans curious about the goings-on around the sport. But one of the surprise contributors to that 2018 squad found his way back to the league this year as well.

Former Red Sox catcher Sandy León, who played five seasons in Boston and has 13 total years of big-league experience, snuck into five games in the second half of the season for the Atlanta Braves. But if he plays again next year, it will likely be with yet another new team.

Sandy León elects free agency

Sep 14, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Sandy Leon (8) reacts after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

On Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reported that León elected free agency after being outrighted off the Braves' 40-man roster at the end of the season. The 36-year-old's player transactions page did not yet reflect the move as of Monday afternoon.

León went 1-for-12 in his brief cameo with the Braves in the majors, as his five games were spread out over the span of two months. His one hit was a home run, blasted on Sept. 14 against the Houston Astros. He was outrighted to Triple-A in August and found his way back up for part of the September stretch run, as Atlanta played out the rest of a brutal 76-86 season.

In his big-league career, León has played for seven teams: the Washington Nationals, Red Sox, Cleveland Indians (twice), Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Braves. Last season, he spent the entire year in the minors for the Kansas City Royals.

His best season by far was 2016, when he batted .310 with an .845 OPS for Boston and racked up 2.8 wins above replacement in only 78 games.

No one expects León to repeat that sort of offensive production 10 years after the fact, but after spending the last five seasons on minor-league contracts, it wouldn't be all that shocking to see him land with another organization and earn an invitation to spring training in February.

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