Red Sox Lose 27-Year-Old Righty to Rangers in Free Agency

One less arm to consider down on the farm...

Apr 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; A Texas Rangers cap and baseball mitt sit on the dugout steps during a game against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

With spring training fast approaching, the offseason carousel continued on Thursday for the Boston Red Sox.

Right-handed pitcher Zach Bryant, who came to the Red Sox in a 2021 trade with the Chicago Cubs for fellow righty Josh Osich, had previously elected free agency in November. He progressed as far as Double-A Portland in the Boston organization, but if he's ever going to make it to the majors, it appears that will come elsewhere.

According to a Thursday report from Andrew Parker of SoxProspects, Bryant signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers for the upcoming season. His five-year tenure in the Red Sox organization has come to an end.

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What Red Sox are losing in Bryant

May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bag of baseballs sits on the diamond before a game against between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

As is typical of many pitchers who switch teams as minor-league free agents, Bryant had subpar counting stats, but decent under-the-hood numbers in the Red Sox organization. He's put up a 4.79 ERA in 132 minor-league appearances to this point, but has racked up 203 strikeouts across 185 innings.

Per SoxProspects' scouting report, Bryant's fastball velocity sits in the low 90s and has topped out at 96. He pairs that with a high-80s slider and a low-80s sweeper, neither of which is presently an above-average offering in major league terms.

Bryant made 79 Double-A appearances in the Red Sox organization, but never made the jump to Triple-A. That was perhaps an early indication that Bryant was better off finding a new home, and the Texas organization appears to have been the best fit he could find.

The Red Sox and Rangers are two of the better major league pitching staffs in the league right now, but perhaps there's a little more wiggle room at the front end of the Texas bullpen. Bryant likely wouldn't be a candidate to make his major league debut early in this season, but if he performs, he could work his way into the mix late in the year or sometime in 2027.

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