The Boston Red Sox still need another big bat in their lineup.

It’s true now, and it’s especially true in the wake of Alex Bregman leaving the Red Sox for a long-term deal with the Cubs. But that hasn’t stopped Craig Breslow & Co. from fortifying their organizational pitching depth. And on Tuesday, the Red Sox made yet another move on that front, with Patrick Halligan signed to a minor-league contract.

A 6-foot-6 righty, Halligan spent the majority of his 2025 campaign with the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. With the Hooks, Halligan posted a 2-3 record, 3.48 ERA, and struck out 62 batters over 51.2 innings of work. 

In the minors since 2021, the 26-year-old Halligan’s best weapon is his splitter, which grades out at a 70 (per FanGraphs). The problem, however is that it’s pretty much the only weapon of note in Halligan’s arsenal as of right now. That’s the kind of stuff that the Red Sox almost like to hear, though, with Breslow and the Red Sox seemingly always eager to get an imperfect pitcher in their proverbial pitching lab for tweaks.

The Halligan signing does not break the Red Sox out of their free agency dry spell, though, as the Red Sox are still the only MLB club yet to sign a big league free agent this offseason. Which, with February rapidly approaching, is almost unbelievable.