The Boston Red Sox had some odd late-season transactions, and picking up right-handed pitcher John Brebbia in free agency might have been the oddest of them all.

Brebbia had just been let go by the Atlanta Braves in early September, meaning he wasn’t eligible to pitch for any other club if they made the postseason. But the Red Sox scooped up the 35-year-old, who is from Boston originally, as a potential bullpen fill-in for the end of the regular season.

That stint netted zero appearances, as Brebbia signed on Sept. 13, then was placed on the seven-day injured list on Sept. 16. He elected free agency on Nov. 6, the day most eligible minor-leaguers hit the open market, and he’s already found a new home (spoiler alert: not Boston).

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Brebbia opts for minor-league deal with Colorado

On Monday, Manny Randwaha of MLB.com reported that the Colorado Rockies had signed Brebbia to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. The transaction has since been reflected in Brebbia’s official transactions log.

Though the Red Sox were Brebbia’s most recent team, his 2025 campaign will mostly be regarded as a disappointment in the eyes of the Detroit Tigers, for whom he made 19 appearances and posted a 7.71 ERA. Ironically, his ERA was exactly the same for the Braves in a quarter of the innings pitched.

Brebbia did have some good seasons for the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and 2023, before the Chicago White Sox signed him the next year to be one of their back-end relievers. Now entering his age-36 season, he’s just hoping to make the roster out of spring training.

Colorado might not be a bad place to do that, but as any baseball fan knows, Coors Field can be a brutal place to pitch. Brebbia threw his change-up 7% of the time this past season, but if the Rockies are smart, they’ll up that usage dramatically.

Never say never to a potential reunion, but in all likelihood, Brebbia’s Red Sox tenure will simply amount to a great bit of trivia that a true diehard fan can impress their Boston baseball-loving friends with in a few years’ time.

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