Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Reportedly Sign Two-Time Cy-Young Winner To Bolster Rotation

Boston finally made a notable addition to the rotation

Scott Neville

Red Sox Reportedly Sign Two-Time Cy-Young Winner To Bolster Rotation
Red Sox Reportedly Sign Two-Time Cy-Young Winner To Bolster Rotation /
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The Boston Red Sox finally got sick of watching other teams sign impact pitchers while they seemingly were lowballing any free agent they made contact with.

Their latest move marks a time of extra triumph, as they added a veteran the team has coveted for three straight offseasons. 

After losing out to American League East rivals for his services two years in a row, the Red Sox finally were able to acquire a player who lives in Massachusetts in the offseason.

"Right-hander Corey Kluber and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year contract with a club option for 2024," ESPN's Jeff Passan tweeted Wednesday.

The deal is team friendly, which makes sense given the recent frugality of a once-all-mighty franchise.

"Corey Kluber has a one-year, $10 million deal with the Red Sox," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand tweeted. "Deal includes an $11 million club option for 2025, with performance bonuses and escalators."

Kluber went 10-10 last season with a 4.34 ERA, 139-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .274 batting average against and 1.21 WHIP in 164 innings across 31 starts last season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 36-year-old is not quite his former Cy-Young self, but he's still a very solid starter with some impressive metrics. Kluber does not allow too much loud contact, ranking in the 80th percentile for average exit velocity and 75th percentile for hard-hit percentage.

Kluber also ranks in the 99th percentile in walk rate and 96th percentile in chase rate. 

The news comes just one day after both Nathan Eovaldi and Rich Hill signed elsewhere, temporarily leaving the fan base in panic mode.

There's a legitimate case to be made that Kluber could be a better option than Eovaldi next season, as he's more durable and consistent. 

Kluber lacks upside and allowed more contact than you'd like to see out of someone who could be slated anywhere from No. 1 to No. 3 in the rotation, but he's still got plenty left in the tank.

The rotation figures to include Chris Sale, Kluber, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Whitlock and Brayan Bello with Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford and Connor Seabold as depth options. Tanner Houck also is an option but this move makes a return to the bullpen more likely. 

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Star Pitcher Signs With Rangers; Boston's Options Running Out

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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