Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Justin Wilson throws against the Braves during a game last season. Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

The Red Sox signed their first free agent of what’s expected to be a busy offseason – and unsurprisingly, the addition is on the pitching side.

Boston agreed to terms with veteran left-handed reliever Justin Wilson on a major league contract, a source confirmed Thursday. The exact terms remain unclear. Fansided’s Robert Murray first reported the agreement.

Wilson, 37, spent 2024 (his 12th big league season) with the Reds and compiled a 5.59 ERA (29 earned runs in 46 2/3 innings), allowing 55 hits and striking out 51 batters in 60 appearances. His 4.73 FIP was a little bit better than his ERA and he boasted a fastball that averaged 95.5 mph. According to Statcast, Wilson ranked in the 95th percentile among MLB pitchers with a 33.8% chase rate. He lowered his walk rate to 2.5 BB/9 after walking four batters per nine innings throughout his career.

Wilson has pitched for six teams since debuting in 2012 and was part of big deadline deals in both 2015 (from the Pirates to Yankees) and 2017 (from the Tigers to Cubs) along the way. He underwent Tommy John surgery pitching for the Reds in 2022, missed all of 2023 and then went to camp with the Dodgers last year before being released and ending up back with Cincinnati shortly before the season.

TO FILL ONE of two remaining vacancies on their coaching staff, the Red Sox are bringing in a former employee of a division rival.

Boston is hiring former Orioles pitching coach and director of pitching Chris Holt as its bullpen coach, a baseball source confirmed. Holt will replace Kevin Walker, who was one of three big league coaches fired after the season. Walker spent five years on the big league coaching staff.

Holt’s hiring was first reported by MASN’s Roch Kubatko.

Holt, 42, was born and raised in Portland, where he still lives, and graduated from Cheverus High and pitched at St. Joseph’s College.

He spent six years in the Orioles’ organization, including five as Baltimore’s director of pitching (since 2020). Three of those seasons were spent in the dugout as Brandon Hyde’s pitching coach, a role Holt took on from 2021-2023 while continuing to oversee the entire organization’s pitching structure. He exclusively served as director of pitching in 2024 with Drew French taking over the uniformed pitching coach role. In Boston, he’ll be a top lieutenant to pitching coach Andrew Bailey in a group that also includes director of pitching Justin Willard and game-planning coordinator Jason Varitek.

Holt spent one season pitching in the Pirates’ system (2002), spending the season at low Class A after being taken in the 21st round out of Flagler College in Florida. He was an amateur coach at the collegiate and high school levels before scouting for the Orioles in 2012 and 2013. His affiliated coaching career began in 2014, his first of four years with Astros affiliates before becoming Houston’s assistant pitching coordinator in 2018. He joined Baltimore for the 2019 season with Mike Elias, who left the Astros to become the Orioles’ general manager. Holt left the Orioles after the 2024 season.

With Holt and new assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson (promoted from within) in the fold, the Red Sox are down to one opening on their coaching staff as they look to replace departed first base coach Andy Fox. The club is nearing the conclusion of that search, according to an industry source, with WooSox Manager Chad Tracy believed to be a potential candidate.

BOGGS WRAPS UP TREATMENT: Baseball Hall of Famer and World Series champion third baseman Wade Boggs on Wednesday shared an update on his battle with prostate cancer.

Boggs, 66, publicly revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis in a social media post on Sept. 7. On Wednesday, he shared a positive update.

“Praise God! Had my last treatment this morning now it’s in the hands of God,” Boggs wrote in a post to X. “Can’t thank my family, friends and my fans for your continued support throughout this difficult time. Also my wonderful team at Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute.”

Boggs played 18 seasons in MLB from 1982 to 1999 for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He earned 12 All-Star selections, eight Silver Slugger awards, won five American League batting titles and two Gold Glove awards. He also won the 1996 World Series with the New York Yankees.

Boggs finished his MLB career with a .328 batting average, 118 home runs, 1,014 RBI and an .858 OPS in 2,439 games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.