Former Yankee Nick Burdi has signed a minor league deal with the rival Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox are further strengthening their pitching depth by signing experienced right-handed reliever Nick Burdi to a minor league deal. Although Burdi won’t be part of the major league camp as a non-roster invitee, he will join the minor league camp with the goal of demonstrating his ability to stay healthy and potentially contribute to the team in 2025.
Burdi, 32, has faced a series of injuries throughout his career but has shown flashes of dominant stuff when healthy. He spent the 2024 season with the New York Yankees, making the Opening Day roster and posting a solid 1.86 ERA over 9 2/3 innings in 12 appearances. However, his underlying metrics raised concerns, with a 5.44 FIP and nine walks, along with two hit batters. His control issues resulted in a 24.4% walk and hit-by-pitch rate, which overshadowed his strong run prevention numbers.
Despite these struggles, Burdi’s fastball remains a key weapon, reaching up to 97.7 mph last season. However, staying on the field has been his biggest challenge. A former second-round pick from Louisville, he has undergone two Tommy John surgeries (2017, 2020) and had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in 2019. An emergency appendectomy significantly limited his 2023 season, and a hip injury restricted him to just 9 2/3 MLB innings and 17 Triple-A innings in 2024.
