No, none of it has been blockbuster news for the Red Sox, who are expected to be the makers of some blockbuster news as the winter goes on. But as MLB’s early deadlines start trickling in–the non-tender deadline is Friday–the Red Sox have found themselves in need of a repositioning of the roster, and that got underway in earnest on Tuesday.
The Red Sox made four trades on Tuesday in an effort to bring in new pieces and prospects for players they were probably not planning to bring back.
Reliever Brennan Bernadino was traded to Colorado for utility man Braiden Ward. Veteran lefty Chris Murphy, who was 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 34.2 innings last year, was also dealt away, for White Sox catching prospect Ronny Hernandez, while minor-league pitcher Alex Hoppe was sent to Seattle for another catching prospect, Luke Heyman.
Rounding out the day, Boston dealt away 25-year-old reliever Luis Guerrero to the Rays for another utility man, Tristan Gray.
Red Sox Trade of Brennan Bernadino a Surprise
Most notable among the losses was Bernadino, a stalwart lefty out of the bullpen for the past three seasons. Bernadino pitched 51.2 innings out of the bullpen with an impressive 3.14 ERA, but with Bernadino turning 34 in January, the team wanted to clear out roster room for younger contributors.
And that’s what Boston’s Tuesday flurry was all about–clearing out room on the 40-man roster to protect players in the system from being poached in the Rule 5 draft. Prospects Shane Drohan, David Sandlin and Tyler Uberstine, all of whom reached Triple-A Worcester last season, were moved to the big-league roster.
Red Sox Prospects Moved to 40-Man
As the Red Sox fill out their potential 2026 pitching rotation, then, consider Drohan, Sandlin and Uberstine candidates to earn the No. 4 or 5 spot heading into spring training.
Sandlin, who is 24, is the No. 10 prospect on the Red Sox’s board, according to MLB Pipeline. He has been a starter, but struggled in a relief role at Worcester last year, going 4-2 with a 7.61 ERA in 15 appearances. Between Double-A Portland and one start in Worcester, Sandlin was 5-3 with a 3.97 ERA as a starter in 2025.
Uberstine was 6-5 with a 3.58 ERA between Double A and Triple A in 2025. Drohan had been considered one of the top pitching prospects in the system before shoulder and forearm injuries hampered him over the past two years, but he finished strong, with a 2-1 record and a 2.57 ERA in his final five starts, striking out 29 hitters in 21.0 innings.
Catching Prospects a Priority
The Red Sox also officially cut ties with first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and pitcher Josh Winckowski on Tuesday, designating them for assignment.
The addition of Hernandez and Heyman should be highlighted, too, as the emergence of Carlos Narvaez at catcher last year after a shrewd offseason trade bailed the Red Sox out at a position that is decidedly lacking in the Boston system.
Hernandez only turned 21 this month, and is a long-term project at the position. Heyman is in much the same boat–he is 22 and was a 14th-round pick from Florida, where he batted .301 this year. He’ll now make his pro debut in the Red Sox system next year.
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