BOSTON -- Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow continued to revamp his infield by agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa on Wednesday, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The pact, which has not been confirmed by the club, is pending a physical. The contract is for $6 million, per a source.
Entering his age-31 season, Kiner-Falefa remains one of the game’s most versatile players. And it will be interesting to see how manager Alex Cora winds up deploying Kiner-Falefa on the heels of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman’s departure to the Cubs last month.
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo was first to report Boston’s pending agreement with Kiner-Falefa.
Marcelo Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft, is expected to get his share of at-bats at third base or second base, depending on subsequent additions.
With Kiner-Falefa expected to be in the fold within the days, there is intrigue regarding how the infield pieces will fit together.
This past season, Kiner-Falefa flourished at third base, posting +2 Outs Above Average. That’s arguably been his strongest position, and it’s where he won a Gold Glove with the Rangers in 2020.
Valued run producer Willson Contreras was acquired in a trade with the Cardinals in December to be the Red Sox's first baseman. Trevor Story is the one regular back from last year’s infield as the shortstop.
Romy Gonzalez, who destroys lefties, is another player who will vie for time at different spots in the infield and perhaps the outfield as well.
When the Red Sox pivoted after losing out in the Bregman sweepstakes by signing lefty starter Ranger Suárez, Breslow said the team would lean into run prevention as the strength of the team.
Getting a player like Kiner-Falefa, who is more known for defense than offense, fits that vision.
Though he primarily played shortstop and third base in 2025, Kiner-Falefa has experience playing all around the diamond. He started 42 games at second base for the Pirates and Blue Jays in ‘24. In ‘23, Kiner-Falefa started 61 games in the outfield with the Yankees. He’s even made 73 appearances as a catcher, though he hasn’t played behind the dish since 2019 with the Rangers.
For the second straight year, Kiner-Falefa split his season between the Pirates and the Blue Jays, who claimed him off waivers in late August. Overall, he hit .262 with a .631 OPS in 138 games and stole 15 bases, his highest single-season total since ‘22. Kiner-Falefa's best big league season came in ‘24, when he posted a career-high 2.0 fWAR.
Kiner-Falefa doesn’t hit the ball hard and won’t hit for much power, either. But he stays true to his strengths: He’s a contact-oriented hitter with exceptional bat-to-ball skills. Last season, Kiner-Falefa's swing-and-miss rate (15.1%) was in the 91st percentile of MLB. His career strikeout rate of 15.7% is far better than the league average of 22.2%.
In the postseason, Kiner-Falefa appeared in 15 games for the Blue Jays, recording six hits in 37 at-bats (.162). He was a key part of their contact-oriented approach that caused fits for the opposition, though the lasting memory of his October is likely when he was thrown at home as the would-be World Series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7.
The Rangers selected Kiner-Falefa in the fourth round of the 2013 Draft straight out of high school in Honolulu. He’s played for four teams across his eight-year career and owns a respectable .262 average.
A right-handed hitter, Kiner-Falefa has roughly even splits, with a .666 OPS against righties compared to a .643 OPS against lefties. Those splits were actually fairly pronounced in 2025, when he hit just .227 against left-handed pitching.