Boston, MA – The Boston Red Sox reached agreements with a pair of veteran pitchers on Friday, signing Jose Contreras and Brandon Lyon to minor league contracts.
Both pitchers were recently let go by their former clubs and will report to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Contreras was officially released by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday after making seven appearances with the club, while Lyon pitched in 37 games with the New York Mets before being designated for assignment on July 4.
The 41-year-old Contreras has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since 2010, his first of three seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. In five innings of work with Pittsburgh, he allowed five runs on seven hits.
Lyon is a major league veteran of 11 years and previously pitched for the Red Sox in 2003.
The 33-year-old pitched to an effective 3.10 ERA with Toronto and Houston last season, but struggled in his final weeks with the Mets, prompting his release. He had a 4.98 earned run average over 34.1 innings of work this season.
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