The MLB offseason has been slow to pick up momentum as we forge ahead into 2026. There are plenty of big names still available on the free agent market and all of us are waiting for news about, well, anything really.
There have still been plenty of minor signings across the league as the personnel carousel continues turning, including former Philadelphia Phillies farmhand Devin Sweet, who elected free agency following the end of the regular season. The Boston Red Sox signed Sweet, a 29-year-old right-hander, to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Devin Sweet signs with Red Sox after flaming out with Phillies in 2025
Sweet finds his new organization after spending one disappointing season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, not showing the Phillies what they were hoping to see.
When the Phillies acquired Sweet from the Detroit Tigers in November 2024, it looked like they were getting a strikeout machine and a possible depth option for the bullpen. But that never came close to fruition, despite having limited previous MLB experience.
In 76 Triple-A innings in 2024, Sweet posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, but it was his strikeout total and rate that must have caught the Phillies' attention. In 52 appearances (including four starts), he racked up 111 strikeouts. That's an impressive 33.9 percent strikeout rate and 13.14 K/9.
Fast forward to the 2025 season, and Sweet couldn't replicate his success in Triple-A with the IronPigs. He made 46 appearances (two starts) and ran a 5.08 ERA and 1.44 WHIP while seeing his strikeouts drop drastically. In 51 1/3 innings, Sweet struck out just 49 Triple-A batters, for a 21.2 percent strikeout rate and 8.59 K/9.
Unfortunately, along with a plummet in strikeouts, Sweet still walked batters at the same rate as he did in 2024. In 2025, he posted an 11.7 percent walk rate and 4.73 BB/9, both slightly higher than his results from the previous year.
Sweet debuted in July 2023 with the Seattle Mariners but got into just two games before being designated for assignment. He was claimed by the Athletics and made five appearances, finishing the year with a 10.38 ERA in major league action.
Perhaps the Boston pitching factory can unlock Sweet's strikeout potential again and help him become a viable depth piece, something the Phillies never figured out.