(New York) The Boston Red Sox announced the signing of right-handed relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock through 2026 on Sunday.
Posted yesterday at 4:51 p.m.
The deal will earn him $18.75 million, but could be extended for two more seasons given an option owned by the Red Sox. Thanks to bonuses, he could get his hands on a maximum of 44.5 million.
The formalization of the pact was made just before the start of the third and final game of a series of three between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
The Massachusetts squad acquired Whitlock from the Yankees ahead of the start of the 2021 season. A starter in the minors, the 25-year-old pitcher took on the reliever role last year and led all Red Sox gunners in average. 1.96 earned runs in 73 1/3 innings.
He finished with an 8-4 record and struck out 81 batters. He regularly pitched multiple innings in a single game.
Among the 30 rookies who pitched at least 70 innings last year, Whitlock finished first in ERA and second in walks and hits allowed per inning pitched (1.10). .
In the first game of the campaign, Whitlock allowed a run in two-and-a-third working innings. He struck out four batters and homered from DJ LeMahieu in a 6-5 loss.