Red Sox Agree to Terms with Nine Players on One-Year Contracts

The Boston Red Sox today agreed to terms with nine players on one-year contracts for the 2018 season, thus avoiding salary arbitration: infielder Brock Holt, shortstop Xander Bogaerts, catchers Sandy León and Christian Vázquez, outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., and pitchers Joe Kelly, Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Brandon Workman.
With today's agreements, outfielder Mookie Betts is the only remaining unsigned Red Sox player eligible for salary arbitration.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and Senior Vice President/Assistant General Manager Brian O'Halloran made the announcement.
Bogaerts, 25, hit .273 (156-for-571) with 94 runs scored, 32 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs, 62 RBI, and a career-high 15 stolen bases in 148 games for the Red Sox in 2017. A 2016 All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, the shortstop ranks fourth in the American League since 2015 with 544 hits, as well as seventh with 293 runs scored. In parts of five major league seasons with Boston, the Aruban-born Bogaerts has played 623 games, batting .283 (684-for-2,418) with 360 runs scored, 131 doubles, 51 home runs, and 283 RBI. He won a World Series title with the Red Sox in his rookie 2013 season.
Bradley, 27, batted .245 (118-for-482) with 19 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs, and 63 RBI in 2017, his fifth season with the Red Sox. He played 133 games, recording six outfield assists and one double play in center field. A 2016 American League All-Star, Bradley has played 527 career games for the Red Sox since being selected 40th overall in the supplemental round of the 2011 June Draft. The left-handed hitter has a career .239 batting average (416-for-1,740) with 258 runs scored, 90 doubles, 16 triples, 57 home runs, 233 RBI, and 30 stolen bases.
Holt, 29, was limited to 64 games for the Red Sox in 2017, missing time on the disabled list with vertigo. The Red Sox went 23-14 over his 37 starts, including 17 at second base, eight at third base, eight in left field, one at first base, and one in right field. A 2015 American League All-Star, Holt has hit .265 (386-for-1,457) with 204 runs scored, 76 doubles, 12 triples, 13 home runs, and 129 RBI over 443 career major league games. He was originally chosen in the 9th round of the 2009 June Draft by Pittsburgh before being dealt to Boston in 2012 as part of a six-player trade.
Kelly, 29, made 54 relief appearances in 2017, his first season pitching exclusively out of the bullpen. He posted a 2.79 ERA (18 ER/58.0 IP) and a 1.19 WHIP, limiting opponents to a .202 batting average and holding them scoreless in 42 of 54 outings. Over six major league seasons since being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 June Draft, the California native has gone 39-23 with a 3.81 ERA (237 ER/559.2 IP) in 177 games, including 79 starts. He was acquired by Boston via trade in July 2014 and has gone 22-9 in 109 games (41 starts) with the Red Sox.
Leon, 28, played a career-high 85 games for the Red Sox in 2017, setting career marks with 39 RBI and 25 walks while batting .225 (61-for-271) with 32 runs, 14 doubles, and seven home runs. He finished second in the American League with a 3.41 catcher's ERA, catching seven of the club's 11 team shutouts and throwing out 34.0 percent of attempted base stealers (16 of 47). In 204 games over three seasons with the Red Sox, the Venezuelan native has hit .251 (160-for-637) with 33 doubles, 14 home runs, and 77 RBI. He spent the first eight seasons of his professional career with the Washington Nationals.
Pomeranz, 29, made 32 starts in 2017, his first full season with the Red Sox, finishing 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA (64 ER/173.2 IP) and 174 strikeouts. He set career highs in starts, wins, innings, and strikeouts, with the Red Sox going 22-10 in his outings. From June 27-August 28, the left-hander won a career-high eight straight decisions, the longest winning streak by a Red Sox starter in 2017. Originally selected by Cleveland as the fifth overall selection in the 2010 June Draft, Pomeranz has posted a 42-42 record and a 3.67 ERA (259 ER/636.0 IP) in 170 career appearances, including 111 starts, over seven major league seasons with the Rockies (2011-13), Athletics (2014-15), Padres (2016), and Red Sox (2016-17).
Rodriguez, 24, made 24 starts and one relief appearance for Boston in 2017, going 6-7 with a 4.19 ERA (64 ER/137.1 IP) and a career-high 150 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .241 batting average. From June 2-July 16, he missed time on the disabled list recovering from a right knee subluxation. In three major league seasons, all with the Red Sox, the Venezuelan left-hander has made 66 appearances (65 starts), going 19-20 with a 4.23 ERA (172 ER/366.0 IP) and 348 strikeouts. He underwent successful right knee patellofemoral ligament reconstruction surgery on October 17 in Pensacola, FL.
Vázquez, 27, made his first Opening Day roster in 2017 and played a career-high 99 games, leading American League catchers with a .290 batting average (94-for-324; min. 250 AB). He set career highs with 43 runs, 18 doubles, five home runs, 32 RBI, and seven stolen bases while throwing out 19 of 48 attempted base stealers (39.6%). In 211 career games, all for Boston, the Puerto Rican-born Vázquez has hit .261 (175-for-671) with 36 doubles, seven homers, and 64 RBI. His career caught-stealing rate of 42.0 percent (42 of 100) is the highest in the last 30 seasons by any catcher with at least 200 games caught.
Workman, 29, made a career-high 33 appearances for the Red Sox in 2017, finishing 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA (14 ER/39.2 IP), four holds, and 37 strikeouts against 11 walks. A second-round selection in the 2010 June Draft, the Texan right-hander has spent his entire professional career in the Red Sox organization, posting a 3.76 ERA (189 ER/452.0 IP) in 89 minor league games (79 starts) and a 5.11 ERA (73 ER/128.2 IP) in 39 major league outings, including 18 starts. As a rookie in 2013, Workman made seven appearances during the club's World Series run, allowing just one unearned run over 8.2 frames.