Red Sox Southpaw Already Seems Like Near-Lock for Roster Spot

It's day two of spring training for the Boston Red Sox, but because it's fun, let's do some reading of the tea leaves.

One of the sneaky subplots of this offseason has been the Red Sox leaving the bullpen untouched. In fact, one could argue they've subtracted, because Steven Matz left in free agency and Brennan Bernardino and Chris Murphy were traded.

The weeks of speculation about adding another left-hander, be it Danny Coulombe, Justin Wilson, or Anthony Banda, have led to no action. And at some point, especially after hearing the Red Sox talk about him, we have to accept that Jovani Morán has the inside track to being the first lefty out of the pen.

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Morán seems like almost a layup for opening day

Jovani Morán — 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

Casual Red Sox fans could be forgiven for forgetting Morán was on the roster. He spent almost all of last season in Triple-A, where he was above average, and made his way to the majors for only two games. But this year, it's a completely different story.

On Wednesday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow talked about the left-handed relief situation, and seemed to indicate that if the season were to start on Thursday, Morán would easily make the roster.

“We continue to explore opportunities. We also feel good about the group we have,” Breslow said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “Morán has been someone that has been highlighted, someone we really like coming off a really successful winter ball season in Puerto Rico.

Reading Breslow's words generously, one could think perhaps there's room for one more lefty in free agency, a la Coulombe. But would Morán even be forced out at that point? Probably not, considering he has no minor-league options, whereas righty Zack Kelly does.

Morán is now a full year removed from Tommy John surgery recovery, and his stint with Ramón Vázquez's winter ball team in Puerto Rico seems to have given the Red Sox all sorts of confidence in him. Nothing is "guaranteed" at this point, but we're going to predict fairly confidently that the southpaw makes the club out of spring training.

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