Red Sox finally “add” to starting rotation, but have more work to do
By Scott Rogust
After months of inactivity, the Boston Red Sox finally added a pitcher to their starting rotation.
The Boston Red Sox had a disastrous 2020 season, as they finished behind the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles to finish dead-last in the AL East division. The catalyst for their drop to the basement was their lack of starting rotation depth after Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez were ruled out for the entirety of the campaign. Red Sox fans have grown increasingly impatient this offseason, but now the team finally added an arm to the starting rotation. And by added, we mean brought back a pitcher.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox are close to an agreement with left-handed pitcher Martin Perez on a one-year contract that includes a club option. FanSided’s own Robert Murray reports that Perez will earn $4.5 million in 2021 and the club option is worth $6 million.
Free-agent left-hander Martín Perez close to agreement with Red Sox, source tells The Athletic. Deal will be for one year with a club option. Red Sox had declined Perez’s $6.85M option on Nov. 1.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 16, 2021
Sources: Martin Perez and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $4.5 million deal with a $6 million club option ($500K buyout), pending physical.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 16, 2021
First: @Ken_Rosenthal.
Red Sox bring back Perez for at least one more year
Boston’s pitching was doomed from the start, as Sale had to undergo Tommy John surgery before the coronavirus pandemic put the league on a months-long pause and Rodriguez was ruled out for the entire season after testing positive for COVID-19 and developing myocarditis. That left the Red Sox with no choice but to use Nathan Eovaldi as their ace pitcher. Perez was a serviceable second arm in the rotation.
This past season, Perez (3-5) recorded a 4.50 ERA and struck out 48 batters in a team high 62.0 innings of work.
The Red Sox have taken a bit of a backseat on the pitching front this Hot Stove season. Boston was reportedly one of six teams in on Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, but the team backed out due to what they deemed was a high asking price. On Friday, the Red Sox watched as the rival New York Yankees agreed to terms with former Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers pitcher Corey Kluber on a one-year, $11 million contract on Friday.
While not a big splash, the Red Sox addressed their pitching needs by bringing Perez back to Bean Town for at least one more year.
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