Boston Red Sox Suddenly Announce 3 Free Agent Signings

While the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays battled in the World Series, the Boston Red Sox quietly bolstered their minor-league depth on Monday, October 26, 2026.

According to the MLB.com transactions log, the club signed free-agent shortstop Brayan Cordero and right-handed pitchers Franklin Diaz and Obel Encarnacion to minor-league contracts.

None of the three appear on the 40-man roster. These are classic low-cost, high-upside additions typical of the international free-agent market rather than major-league free-agent moves.

All three hail from the Dominican Republic and have yet to post professional statistics in affiliated ball, signaling that they are developmental prospects expected to begin in the Dominican Summer League or Florida Complex League.

Brayan Cordero, a right-handed-hitting shortstop, is the most experienced of the group on paper. Born December 17, 2007, in San Pedro de Macorís, he stands 6-foot-2 and is listed at 210 pounds.

His transaction history shows prior assignments with Navy-East in 2024, 2025, and June 2026, suggesting previous time in an academy or independent/summer-league setting before joining the Red Sox.

At nearly 19, he is the oldest of the three and arrives as a physical shortstop who could provide infield depth behind top prospect Franklin Arias and the club’s ongoing shortstop questions involving Trevor Story.

The two pitchers are even younger. Franklin Diaz, a right-hander born July 5, 2008, in Santo Domingo, measures 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds.

Obel Encarnacion, also a right-hander, was born February 20, 2008, in Azua and is listed at 5-foot-11, 177 pounds. Both throw and bat right-handed, and neither has any recorded professional innings.

Their signings fit the Red Sox’s pattern of stocking the lower levels with projectable Dominican arms as they rebuild pitching depth across the system.

The moves come after a 87-75 regular season that ended with a Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees.

With free agency still weeks away and the World Series ongoing, Boston’s baseball operations staff—led by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow—continues the steady accumulation of minor-league talent that has defined the organization in recent years.

These three players will not affect the major-league roster in 2027, but they represent the kind of long-term inventory teams add when the bright lights are elsewhere.

For now, Cordero, Diaz, and Encarnacion join a growing group of recent minor-league signings as the Red Sox turn their attention from a lost postseason to the long offseason ahead.