It appears Bryan Holaday won’t figure into the Boston Red Sox’s plans in 2017.
The Red Sox won’t tender the contract of the veteran catcher, making him a free agent, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced Friday. Boston also announced it has tendered 2017 contracts to the 31 remaining unsigned players on its 40-man roster.
The Red Sox claimed Holaday off waivers on Aug. 5 to add depth to a catcher position depleted by injuries. But returning starter Sandy Leon will have two healthy backups next season in Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart, who underwent ankle surgery in August. That leaves no room for Holaday, who hit .212 in 14 games for Boston in 2016.
The move also means the Red Sox plan on signing the other nine arbitration-eligible players on their roster. That includes relief pitcher Fernando Abad, whose standing in Boston was in question after his struggles in 2016. Abad posted a 6.39 ERA in 18 appearances with Boston since the team acquired him in a trade with the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 1.
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