MLB's contract arbitration deadline approaches, and by January 8, the Boston Red Sox and all other clubs must have defined contract structures for any of their arbitration-eligible players.
The Red Sox got a head start on this process when they signed Jarren Duran and Connor Wong to new contracts in November. On January 6, Kutter Crawford agreed to new contract terms with Boston.
The righty pitcher signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract for 2026. His salary is the same as it was in 2025 when he missed the entire campaign with a right knee injury followed by a wrist ailment, which required surgery to repair.
Red Sox agree to one year, $2.75 million contract with Kutter Crawford to avoid arbitration
Crawford will compete for a spot in the Red Sox's starting rotation this coming spring, and the playing field is much more crowded than it has been in the recent past. The acquisitions of Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, coupled with the emergence of top pitching prospects like Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and David Sandlin could push Crawford to the bullpen, or he could rise above the competition and earn a rotation spot to execute a full rebound.
Red Sox announce first seven non-roster invitees to spring training
There is still plenty of time remaining in the offseason for the Red Sox to make all the roster additions they need to be a top competitor in the American League East, but they've already begun looking forward to spring training.
The Red Sox have announced the first of the non-roster invitees (NRIs) to spring training, which is about a month away — Pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers in the middle of February and the rest of the roster will follow. That group will include catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, righty pitchers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris and Devin Sweet, and lefty pitchers Alec Gamboa and T.J. Sikkema (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive).
Harris spent the 2025 season in the Red Sox's minor league system, but the rest of the NRIs that have been announced as of this writing are new additions to the club. Delay, Capra and Sweet all have MLB experience (Sweet has just 8.2 innings), so it wouldn't be shocking to see them on the major league roster at some point.
Sikkema was a 2019 compensation round draft pick by the Yankees (he went 38th overall), and it would be great to see him break out and kick-start his MLB career with the Red Sox, as so many former bitter rivals have in the recent past.