Red Sox re-sign former top pitching prospect on minor-league deal after DFA

The Boston Red Sox announced Friday that they were not tendering Bryan Mata a contract for 2025. While it wasn't shocking, it was weird to see the team move on from the pitching prospect who had been in the system since 2016.

Despite being around so long, Mata is only 25. The right-handed pitcher was one of the top arms in the minor leagues and a top Red Sox prospect for a period of time.

Mata was on an ace trajectory following four straight seasons in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. However, injuries derailed his career. COVID forced minor league baseball to shut down in 2020. The Venezuela native then missed the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery.

On June 4, 2022, Mata appeared in his first game in 1,008 days. Since the end of the 2019 season, he's thrown 132 2/3 innings. Mata threw 83 innings in 2022, only 27 in 2023, and 22 2/3 in 2024.

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The injuries haven't stopped causing issues. We saw Mata on the cusp of making his Major League debut multiple times last year before setbacks got in his way.

The talent is still there, though. Mata has had control issues, but the stuff plays. He features a fastball that can touch 100 MPH, a curveball in the high 70s, a slider in the high 80s, and a changeup in the mid-80s.

The fastball and changeup are his two best pitches, although the changeup didn't look as sharp in 2024.

We still don't know what Mata could be. Earlier in his career, he looked like a potential front-end starter. Maybe even an ace. Now, he might be best suited for a role as a reliever.

The exciting news is we'll see Mata continue his journey in the Boston organization. Less than two hours after the Red Sox announced their decision not to tender Mata's contract, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the team agreed to a minor league deal with the righty.

With Mata not on the 40-man roster, we won't have to keep an eye on when he needs to appear in the Majors. The Red Sox can focus on getting the pitcher 100% healthy and ready to go. Hopefully, this will allow him to slow down and improve his game without the constant pressure of a ticking clock.

There's still a world where we see Mata become the star he was expected to be after his 2019 season. The path to greatness for El Idolo continues in a Boston Red Sox jersey.