New Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson on why he joined Boston in free agency
The first free agent the Red Sox signed this winter was left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. The veteran comes to Boston, providing an experienced southpaw that can come out of Alex Cora’s bullpen next season.
The 37-year-old posted a 5.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings in 60 games. Despite the high ERA last season, the lefty owns a career 3.61 ERA with 20 saves and 561 strikeouts over his 12-year big league career.
The Red Sox will be the seventh organization that Wilson will pitch for and is no stranger to pitching in the American League East. He spent two years with the Yankees, pitching in 95 games in 2015 and 2021.
As the offseason began to unfold, Boston made Wilson a priority, and then the deal with the Red Sox came together quickly.
"Truthfully, it happened fast," Wilson said on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast with Rob Bradford. "As a reliever, and being older, sometimes you're on the back burner for most of these teams because there might be a Juan Soto out there that they're bidding more, and that's the priority, which is totally understandable. But clearly, Boston wanted me. Talking to my agent, we were able to come to a deal. I'm happy to be signed and to be able to prepare for it where I'm not lingering and wondering where I'm gonna go, Florida or Arizona and all that. Sometimes, you have to pack and leave within two or three days. Fortunately enough, I don't have to do that.
"Truthfully, it happened very fast, and within a couple of days, we had a deal in place. I would say about two weeks ago my agent called, and he's like, 'Hey, here's where we stand of where you're gonna fit as far as salary, teams that are gonna need left-handed relievers, left-handed relievers that pitch in high-leverage situations.' We had been talking to Boston, and then it kinda escalated very quickly when I said, 'Let's explore it more.' Then, one thing after another, it's done."
Wilson mentioned that the Red Sox attempted to bring him aboard last offseason, but because there was no guarantee he would make the 26-man roster, he went elsewhere.
The hurler will join a group of fellow lefties that includes Brennan Bernardino, Cam Booser, and Zach Penrod next season; all three aren’t a lock to make the Opening Day roster. Boston will also get Chris Murphy back at some point after he missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox are expected to continue to look for additional bullpen help this winter and could add another lefty to the bullpen.
