MLB News: Boston Red Sox Sign Relief Pitcher Craig Breslow to $2M Deal

The Boston Red Sox have signed Craig Breslow to a one-year $2 million deal adding a lefty in their bullpen. Breslow will compete for a slot against other pitchers including fellow lefties Tommy Layne and Drake Britton plus Anthony Varvaro.

Rob Bradford, who writes for the Red Sox on WEEI.com, was one of the first to report the signing.

Breslow signing with Red Sox for $2 mill one year

— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) December 20, 2014

The well-traveled veteran has had stints with the San Diego Padres (2005), Cleveland Indians (2008), Minnesota Twins (2008 to 2009), Oakland Athletics (2009 to 2011), Arizona Diamondbacks (2012) and the Red Sox (2006 and 2012 to present). Breslow is off a trying season when he posted just 5.96 ERA.

“Certainly the most frustrating and disappointing season I’ve ever had. I can talk about a million different things that I think went wrong, but I just wasn’t very good this year. And I think I identified a couple reasons why, and I think this offseason I’ll have a chance to address those,” The 34-year-old Breslow said via MassLive.com last September. “In 2015, I count on being a pitcher that I had been for seven years and not the pitcher I was for one ... It’s been mentally exhausting. But I don’t have concerns about my health. Going into the off-season this is the healthiest I’ve felt in two or three years.”

From 2008 to 2013, Breslow pitched in more games (392) than any other left-handed reliever other than Matt Thornton, with a 2.82 ERA, while limiting batters to a .224 batting average. Due to his struggles in 2014, the Red Sox declined his $4 million option and chose to buy him out for $100,000 and made him a free agent. For his career, Breslow has a career win-loss record of 22-33 with 366 strikeouts and 7 saves.