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Longtime Red Sox pitching prospect heading to Japan after 10 years with organization
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- Longtime Red Sox pitching prospect heading to Japan after 10 years with organization
ORLANDO — Bryan Mata spent 10 seasons with the Red Sox organization but never reached the majors. Now, he’s on his way to Japan.
Mata has agreed to sign with an unidentified Nippon Professional Baseball team, according to an industry source, and will pitch overseas in 2026. The decision will end his decade-long stint with the Red Sox — in which he never reached the majors. Mata was one of the organization’s top pitching prospects at various times but has dealt with injuries throughout his career.
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The Red Sox, who designated Mata for assignment last winter before re-signing him to a new minor league deal, did not show interest in bringing him back for 2026, according to a source, but he had non-roster offers from more than half of the teams in Major League Baseball as well as other overseas clubs. The identity of his new team should be revealed in the coming days.
Mata, who turns 27 in May, signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent out of Venezuela in January 2016. He quickly impressed with a high-octane fastball and advanced pitch mix and represented the Red Sox in the Futures Game in 2018. Baseball America ranked him as top-10 prospect in the system each season between 2018 and 2023.
Eventually, injuries — including Tommy John surgery in April 2021 — derailed Mata’s path to the majors. In 2025, he impressed with his velocity in spring training and was one of Alex Cora’s last cuts before Opening Day but never factored into the major league mix . At Triple-A Worcester, Mata pitched to a 5.08 ERA in 67 ⅓ innings over 42 games (all in relief). He has thrown the ball well in winter ball in Venezuela, pitching to a 1.50 ERA in 30 innings over eight games (six starts) for Magallanes.
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