Fall/Winter League Roundup: Watson acquired from A's; Mata heading to Japan (Expanded and Clarified)
There’s a lot to unpack after last week’s Winter Meetings in Orlando. While the Red Sox didn’t land a premium power bat (or two), they stayed active in several other areas. For example, during Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft they lost Jedixson Paez to the White Sox and acquired Ryan Watson in a trade with the Athletics. The move came after Boston opened a 40-man roster spot for Watson by trading Vaughn Grissom to the Angels for Isaiah Jackson on Tuesday. This week’s roundup summarizes that sequence and other developments from December 8-15. Stats for Boston’s players participating in the various leagues can be found on the SoxProspects Fall & Winter Leagues page.
Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM)
Prior to the trade that sent him to the Red Sox in exchange for Justin Riemer during the Rule 5 Draft period, Ryan Watson had been pitching for Licey. The 28-year-old right-hander appeared in 13 winter games for the Tigres, posting a 3.97 ERA with 11 strikeouts to six walks over 11 1/3 innings in relief. He was removed from the roster on November 23. Fellow right-hander Reidis Sena hasn’t appeared in any Licey action since November 30.
On the other side of the LIDOM ledger, Allan Castro played in two Este games this past week, going 0-for-9 with three strikeouts. The 22-year-old outfielder is batting .303/.343/.424 with four doubles, six RBIs, four runs scored, two walks, and nine strikeouts across nine winter games for the Toros this season.
Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico)
Eduardo Rivera was added to Santurce’s roster on December 7. The 22-year-old left-hander has since started twice for the Cangrejeros, yielding two earned runs on four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts over six innings. Left-hander Jovani Moran appeared in three games for Caguas this past week, allowing one unearned run on one hit, one walk, and five strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Moran’s teammate Wyatt Olds also pitched in three games for the Criollos, giving up one earned run on one hit (a solo homer) with no walks and five strikeouts across 3 2/3 innings. Elsewhere, Osvaldo Berrios pitched in a single Carolina appearance on Saturday, surrendering two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Kristian Campbell spent the past week exclusively as a designated hitter for Caguas, going 2-for-17 (.118) with one double, two runs, four walks, and five strikeouts across five games. The 23-year-old, a right-handed hitter, is now slashing .174/.345/.217 in seven games for the Criollos since joining them earlier this month. Juan Montero did not appear in any games for Ponce.
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
Longtime Red Sox pitching prospect Bryan Mata (pictured above) is headed to Japan for 2026, reportedly signing with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. The 26-year-old right-hander had previously been a minor league free agent and has been pitching in Venezuela this winter. In nine outings (seven starts) with Navegantes del Magallanes, Mata posted a 1.57 ERA with 34 strikeouts against seven walks over 34 1/3 innings. Fellow Venezuelan right-hander Eybersson Polanco also appeared in the winter scene with Aguilas del Zulia but was selected by the Angels in the minor league phase of last week’s Rule 5 Draft.
Photo Credit: Bryan Mata by Kelly O’Connor
