Red Sox Miss Out On Potential Reunion As 28-Year-Old Signs With Nationals

Boston let him go on the day of the Devers trade...

Boston Red Sox pitcher Zach Penrod (67) throws a ball against a wall during the first day of Spring Training on Feb 12, 2025 in Lee County, FL, USA. Chris Tilley-Imagn Images | Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

There have to be many in the Boston Red Sox organization who still believe Zach Penrod can be a good major leaguer.

Penrod made his major league debut for the Red Sox at the end of 2024 and wound up pitching four innings and allowing one earned run. He was considered a candidate for the bullpen at the start of spring training last year, but after hitting the 60-day injured list with an elbow strain in March, his career took a sideways trajectory.

Having twice been designated for assignment in the past year, Penrod needed a fresh start, and he found one with a team with strong Red Sox ties. According to a Sunday report from Will Sammon of The Athletic, Penrod agreed to a minor-league contract with the Washington Nationals.

Per Sammon, the deal is worth $800,000 if Penrod makes the major league roster, which is barely above the league minimum.

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Penrod reunites with Paul Toboni in Washington

If there was any front office besides Boston that was going to give Penrod a shot, it makes sense that it was Washington, headed up by new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. The 35-year-old was an assistant general manager in Boston this past season and seemed to be on track to graduate to GM behind chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

The Red Sox DFA'd Penrod in June when they needed an extra spot on the 40-man roster, because they'd just traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for, among others, Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison.

It seemed at the time like letting Penrod go could come back to haunt Boston, but he was shortly traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he posted an 8.65 ERA in 26 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 28-year-old was able to elect free agency in November because he'd been cut loose by two clubs within the same season.

Boston had a ton of lefties depart this offseason via trades and free agency, but either they didn't want Penrod back, or were beat to the punch by one of their former disciples when it came to signing him.

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