Sox Sign Eight To Minor League Deals

The Red Sox today announced the signings of eight free agents to 2008 minor league contracts. In addition, all eight players have been invited to Boston’s major league spring training camp as non-roster players.

The eight free agents are right-handed pitchers Scott Atchison and Lee Gronkiewicz, catcher Kevin Cash, and infielders Jeff Bailey, Tony Granadillo, Keith Ginter, Joe Thurston and Gil Velazquez.

Atchison, 31, spent 2007 in the San Francisco organization, going 3-2, 2.01 with four saves in 38 appearances at Triple-A Fresco and posting a 4.11 ERA in 22 outings with the Giants. The right-hander is 2-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 53 career major league games with Seattle (2004-05) and San Francisco (2007).

Gronkiewicz, 29, has spent the last four years in the Toronto organization. In 2007, he was 3-2, 1.80 with 11 saves in 24 games at Double-A New Hampshire and 3-1, 2.82 with two saves in 23 contests at Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander also made his major league debut with the Blue Jays, allowing one run in 4.0 innings in his lone outing on June 19 versus the Dodgers. Gronkiewicz posted a 1.23 ERA in a team high six games for the gold-medalists Team USA in the 2007 World Cup.

Cash, 30, returns to the Boston organization after hitting .176 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 59 games at Triple-A Pawtucket this season. He spent the final six weeks of the regular season with the Red Sox with a .111 average and four RBI in 12 games. Cash has a career major league average of .167 in 126 games with Toronto (2002-04), Tampa Bay (2005), and Boston (2007).

Bailey, 29, was re-signed by the Red Sox after batting .245 with 15 homers and 60 RBI in 115 games for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2007. He also made his major league debut, going 1-for-9 with a home run in three games for Boston . This will be the first baseman’s fifth year in the Boston organization. Granadillo, a 23-year-old second baseman, also returns to the Red Sox after hitting .326 with eight homers and 63 RBI in 109 games at Single-A Lancaster and .333 with four RBI in nine games at Double-A Portland in 2007.

Ginter, 31, spent all of 2007 at Triple-A Buffalo in the Cleveland system, batting .247 with 15 homers and 62 RBI in 106 games. The right-handed batter is a career .243 hitter with 38 homers and 140 RBI in 325 major league games with Houston (2000-02), Milwaukee (2002-04), and Oakland (2005) while playing both the infield and outfield.

Thurston, 28, spent most of 2007 at Triple-A Ottawa in the Philadelphia organization, batting .300 with five homers and 59 RBI in 129 games. He also had a .308 mark and two RBI in four games at Double-A Reading. The left-handed hitting second baseman/outfielder has a .259 average in 55 major league games with the Dodgers (2002-04) and Phillies (2006).

Velazquez, 28, was in the Minnesota system in 2007, batting .267 with one homer and 13 RBI in 17 games at Double-A New Britain and .240 with one homer and 16 RBI in 69 games at Triple-A Rochester. The right-handed-hitting infielder has also played in the Mets organization.

All of the free agents are on the Pawtucket roster with the exception of Granadillo, who was assigned to the Portland roster.