The Red Sox have made their first free agent signing of the offseason — and it’s of the minor league variety.
According to Baseball America’s log of the latest minor league transactions, the Sox have signed outfielder Mark Contreras to a minor league contract. It’s unclear if that deal includes an invite to major league spring training.
Contreras, 29 in January, played 28 games for the Twins last year, hitting .121 (7-for-58) with three homers, six RBIs and 21 strikeouts. A former ninth-round pick out of Cal Riverside in 2017, Contreras has spent his entire professional career with the Twins, appearing in Triple-A in each of the last three seasons. In 2023, he hit .274 with 10 homers, 54 RBIs, 17 doubles, 23 steals and a .769 OPS in 90 games for Minnesota’s top affiliate in St. Paul.
Contreras, a left-handed hitter who throws right-handed, has always shown a mix of power and speed in the minor leagues. In 565 games over six minor league seasons, he had 68 homers and 93 steals. Because the Red Sox have a crowded mix in their major league outfield, he will likely provide a veteran depth presence at Triple-A Worcester in 2024. Two WooSox outfielders, Narciso Crook and Bradley Zimmer, elected minor league free agency to begin the offseason.
Contreras will not be added to Boston’s 40-man roster.
