Red Sox Could Cut Ties With 4-Year Veteran Hurler In Early November

How should the Sox handle their roster crunch?

Mar 21, 2018; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; A view of a Red Sox baseball bag in the game of the Boston Red Sox against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

They're not the decisions that generate the winter's biggest headlines, but all 30 Major League Baseball teams are thinking long and hard about their 40-man rosters these days.

The Boston Red Sox will soon find themselves in a 40-man roster crunch, because so many of their players got injured this season that they ran through more depth than expected. Young pitchers Connelly Early and Payton Tolle might have debuted next season if the staff had remained healthier, and they would not have been Rule 5-eligible this winter had they remained in the minors.

Those two pitchers are clearly safe, but after the World Series ends, the Red Sox are going to have to start deciding who is safe to cut loose.

Will Red Sox DFA Jovani Morán when offseason begins?

Aug 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Jovani Moran (47) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, insider Chris Cotillo named left-handed pitcher Jovani Morán as a prime candidate to be designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

"The free agent departures puts the Red Sox at 32 on the 40-man roster," Cotillo wrote. "The club then needs to reinstate nine players ... from the 60-day IL, which doesn’t exist in the offseason. That means there will likely be 41 players for 40 spots. The Red Sox will then need to make a cut to fit everyone on.

"There are some depth options on the roster who are candidates to be designated for assignment like lefty Jovani Morán."

Morán, who arrived in a minor trade last winter that sent Mickey Gasper to the Minnesota Twins, is a four-year major league veteran who saw some success as a bullpen regular in 2022. But he barely appeared in the majors for the Red Sox this past season after missing the entire 2024 campaign due to Tommy John surgery.

Though Morán put together a respectable 3.82 ERA in 35 1/3 innings for Triple-A Worcester this winter, he ranks quite low on the list of arms that the Red Sox feel they can trust moving forward. Based on the evidence above, it's hard to imagine he survives the entire winter on Boston's 40-man roster, and he could be gone a lot sooner.

More MLB: Red Sox Expected To Make Two 40-Man Roster Moves In Next Month