The Red Sox and pitcher Rick Porcello agreed to a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2019 season. The agreement was announced on Monday just hours after a the Red Sox notched an impressive Opening Day win and more than a day before Porcello is scheduled to make his regular-season debut with the team.
The Red Sox acquired Porcello from the Detroit Tigers in a December trade. The 26-year old right-handed pitcher is set to start the team's second game of the 2015 season on Wednesday. He addressed his decision to extend his stay in Boston in a first-person essay The Players' Tribune.
"What really sold me on the idea of staying here for many more years was the people, Porcello wrote. "Players here work their tails off and are on a daily mission to win. Coaches here don’t just focus on their own area of concentration; they’re constantly looking at how the team as a whole can get better. The organization offers every opportunity for you to excel as a player on the field, so it’s understandable why the expectations are so high."
The extension will take effect in 2016 and will pay Porcello $82.5 million over four seasons, reported Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
Porcello: 4 years, $82.5M
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) April 6, 2015Porcello deal takes effect starting in 2016. $500K bonus, salaries of $20M, $20M, $21M, $21M. He's still under contract for $12.5M in '15.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) April 6, 2015According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the deal also includes a partial no-trade clause.
porcello gets limited no-trade protection on $82.5M, 4-yr boston deal. has 3 teams can veto, same as other red sox veterans
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) April 7, 2015The deal was announced less than 24 hours after Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reported that the Sox and Porcello had agreed not to negotiate during the season.
In 184 career appearances, Porello has 76-63 record and a 4.30 ERA. The native of Morristown, N.J., was 15-13 for the Tigers last season, with a 3.43 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 204.2 innings over 32 appearances.
