As a long winter without baseball ends and spring training kicks off around MLB, multiple former Boston Red Sox found homes with new organizations.
On Feb. 13, former Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo signed a minor league deal with the Phillies with an invite to major league spring training, first reported by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors. Arroyo, 29, hasn't appeared in the major leagues since 2023, his last of three and a half seasons with Boston.
The Giants took Arroyo in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft and earned top 100 prospect recognition. Unfortunately, he never found consistent success in the big leagues, despite Red Sox fans' hopes.
Boston acquired Arroyo after Cleveland designated him for assignment in 2020. He batted .264/.306/.411 over 224 major league games for the Red Sox across four seasons. Arroyo will compete for a bench job at Phillies spring training but could also end up with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Later on Feb. 13, the Dodgers and 2024 Red Sox reliever Luis García agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training, first reported by Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The 38-year-old will return to the West Coast to get his career back on track after a rough stint in Boston.
García is a career 4.14 ERA pitcher over 528 innings across 12 seasons with six different teams. His 2024 season started well when he posted a 3.71 ERA over 43.2 innings during his second stint with the Angels, but his success did not translate to his second half with the Sox. García clocked a 8.22 ERA and allowed four homers in 15.1 innings with Boston. He also spent time on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation.
Former Red Sox Christian Arroyo, Luis García, Kyle Hart, Ronaldo Hernández sign with new teams before spring training
The Red Sox traded four prospects to the Angels for García as they pushed for a Wild Card spot, which did not end well. The righty will compete for a spot in the Dodgers' bullpen, now stocked with Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech and more.
Another former Red Sox also hopes to kick start his career again in California. The Padres and 2020 Sox pitcher Kyle Hart agreed to a one-year deal. Hart pitched the 2024 season for the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization and won the equivalent of the Cy Young Award there.
The lefty posted a 15.55 ERA over 11 innings for the Red Sox in 2020, his only stint in MLB. Hart fine-tuned his arsenal and broke out with the Dinos, to the tune of a 2.69 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 157 innings. He'll join fellow former Red Sox Nick Pivetta as the Padres' newest additions before the 2025 season.
On Feb. 11, former Red Sox catching prospect Ronaldo Hernández reported to spring training with the Yankees. The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, per New York's transactions page.
Hernández was drafted by the Rays and was traded to Boston alongside Nick Sogard for Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs. He never appeared in the majors for the Red Sox organization but he posted one season with Double-A Portland and two with Triple-A Worcester. The backstop is a career .282/.335/.465 hitter over nine years in the minor leagues.