The Red Sox chose to non-tender left-hander Hideki Okajima and newly acquired pitchers Taylor Buchholz and Andrew Miller prior to Thursday night's deadline for such unsigned players, the club announced just after midnight.
Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury were tendered offers, leaving the club's 40-man roster at 37.
Okajima, Buchholz and Miller are now free agents, although each could be re-signed by Boston. The Okajima decision comes as no surprise — he would command roughly $3 million at arbitration and the Sox would not be willing to pay such a sum to a soon-to-be 35-year-old reliever whose effectiveness has tailed off.
Buchholz and Miller are a bit more questionable. Both were picked up this fall and figured to be in the mix for some of the open bullpen slots. The Red Sox may look to negotiate with both players for deals more club-friendly than they would've received in arbitration.
Papelbon was reportedly shopped in recent days as the Sox made an offer for Mariano Rivera, according to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.
