Former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Nick Burdi, who spent 2025 with the Boston Red Sox organization, elected free agency on Thursday.
Burdi, 32, joined the Red Sox in 2025 and spent most of the season at Triple-A Worcester, where he went 4-0 with a 2.83 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 35 innings over 31 appearances. He also saw some action for Boston in the first half, logging a 0.00 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in four relief appearances.
The veteran righty has pitched parts of six seasons for four teams, but his longest tenure was with the Pirates. Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2014, he was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft and immediately traded to Pittsburgh for international bonus slot money.
Burdi debuted with the Pirates in 2018 and pitched three seasons there, going 2-2 with a 9.49 ERA in 12 1/3 innings over 16 appearances.
Burdi became a free agent after the 2020 season and has bounced around since then. After missing the entire 2021 and 2022 campaigns due to his second Tommy John surgery, he returned with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 and pitched for the New York Yankees in 2024 before signing a Minor League deal with the Red Sox in February.
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While he did not make the team out of camp, Burdi earned a promotion in mid-May. Unfortunately, his season was quickly derailed by foot and hip injuries, causing him to miss two months in the middle of the season.
Burdi spent the rest of the season in Triple-A when he returned in August, missing out on Boston’s playoff run.
After flashing a 1.20 ERA in 15 MLB innings over the last two seasons, Burdi will look to continue his career elsewhere in 2026.
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