The Boston Red Sox had a full 40-man roster when they signed Ranger Suárez, their first free agent of the offseason, on January 14. The Red Sox found a way to make a trade rather than designating someone for assignment.
The Red Sox have traded Tristan Gray to the Minnesota Twins, first reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Boston's return wasn't released until minutes later when Jeff Passan announced that catching prospect Nate Baez will join the Sox. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has for some time been searching for upgrades to his big league catching tandem, and he's now adding to the Red Sox's small group of minor league catching talent.
The Red Sox acquired Gray as their return for trading reliever Luis Guerrero to the Tampa Bay Rays in November. The utility player was Boston's first addition to the 40-man roster this offseason and he was expected to compete for a spot in its unsteady infield in spring training.
Gray, who's entering his age-30 season, has appeared in parts of three major league seasons from 2023-25. He made his debut for the Rays in 2023, then suited up for the A's and Miami Marlins the following season before returning to Tampa in 2025. Last year, he slashed .231/.282/.410 with a .693 OPS, five doubles, three homers and nine RBI over 30 games.
Red Sox trade former Rays utility player Tristan Gray to Twins to make 40-man roster spot for Ranger Suárez
The Red Sox are still expected to add another infielder to complete their roster, so they'll have to designate another player for assignment, make another trade or option someone to accommodate their last bat.
Baez is a 24-year-old backstop who has spent four seasons in the Twins' minor league system. He hasn't yet reached Triple-A, but could do so soon given his body of work in 2025. He slashed .278/.371/.423 with a .794 OPS over 96 games between High-A and Double-A in 2025. His stint with High-A Cedar Rapids was the best of his career — he batted .331/.457/.453 with a .910 OPS, 32 walks and 30 strikeouts over 45 games before coming back to earth in the second half of the season.
The Red Sox will make their acquisition of Suárez official on January 21 during a press conference at Fenway Park. The starter was unable to leave his home country of Venezuela until nearly a week after committing to Boston due to political tensions with the United States. Suárez finally arrived in Boston, underwent his physical and had a roster spot opened so he can join his new club of at least the next five years.