The Red Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with free-agent reliever Austin Adams, as was first reported by KPRC’s Ari Alexander. The deal, which is still pending a physical, includes an invite to major-league spring training and would be worth $1.5 million if Adams makes Boston’s active roster.
Adams, 33, is a veteran of eight big-league seasons who spent all of 2024 with the Athletics after being acquired from the Mets for cash considerations in March. The right-hander posted a 3.92 ERA (4.47 FIP) with 53 strikeouts to 23 walks over 56 relief appearances (41 1/3 innings) before being shut down with forearm tendinitis in mid-August. He was outrighted off Oakland’s 40-man roster in late October, which allowed him to reach free agency.
A Tampa native, Adams was originally selected by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2012 draft out of South Florida. The righty was traded to the Nationals in December 2016 and debuted for Washington the following July. He has since forged a lifetime 4.10 ERA (3.98 FIP) with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate and 13.9 percent walk rate in 188 career outings (155 2/3 innings) between the Nationals (2017-2019), Mariners (2019), Padres (2020-2022), Diamondbacks (2023) and Athletics (2024).
Although he has struggled with his command in the past (42 hit batsmen since 2021), Adams has proven to be effective when throwing strikes, as evidenced by the fact that opposing hitters have batted just .199 against him throughout his career. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound hurler relies heavily upon his upper-80s slider (thrown nearly 74 percent of the time this past season) and can mix in a lower-90s fastball and an occasional sinker as well.
Adams, who turns 34 in May, should get an opportunity to compete for a spot in Boston’s Opening Day bullpen alongside fellow non-roster invitees Isaiah Campbell, Michael Fulmer, Bryan Mata, and Wyatt Mills once camp begins in February. If he does not make the team, he will likely provide the Red Sox with an experienced depth option at Triple-A Worcester to open the 2025 season.