The Boston Red Sox have already begun making their offseason moves, but though there has yet to be a high-profile signing or trade, the Red Sox made a significant decision on a top high-leverage relief pitcher, announcing the move on Sunday.
“The Red Sox today exercised RHP Garrett Whitlock’s 2027 club option,” the club announced on social media early Sunday afternoon.
The decision locks in the 30-year-old Whitlock for 2027, exercising his $8.25 million club option after a 1.72 ERA season in relief, mostly in the eighth inning.
The decision comes with the right-hander still mending a fractured tibia he pitched through in September without knowing it was broken.
Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com first reported the move. Whitlock returns at $8.25 million instead of taking a $1 million buyout, and Boston also holds a $10.5 million option for 2028, with a $500,000 buyout, according to The Boston Globe.
Whitlock signed a four-year, $18.75 million extension in April 2022 covering 2023 through 2026. Both options can escalate by up to $4 million each, tied to innings pitched and honors such as Reliever of the Year. If every escalator hits, the deal reaches about $44.5 million over six years, according to The Associated Press.
Garrett Whitlock’s Rule 5 Road to Boston
Boston landed Whitlock on Dec. 10, 2020, selecting him from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. New York left him unprotected during a 40-man roster crunch while he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He had not pitched in a game since mid-2019.
The Yankees had taken him in the 18th round out of UAB in 2017. Born June 11, 1996, in Snellville, Georgia, the 6-foot-5 right-hander posted a 1.86 ERA across levels in 2018. Tommy John surgery followed in July 2019, after 14 Double-A starts.
Whitlock made the 2021 Opening Day roster and finished that season with a 1.96 ERA over 73 1/3 innings. Because he stayed on the roster all year, the Yankees collected only the $100,000 Rule 5 fee.
Through 2026, Whitlock is 32-16 with a 2.93 ERA and 402 strikeouts in 366 innings across 219 games, 23 of them starts. This year he went 7-2 with a 1.72 ERA, 26 holds and four saves.
Whitlock’s Injury History and Red Sox Plans
Whitlock’s injury history is an extensive one. Whitlock had a pectoral strain in 2021, hip inflammation in 2022 that later required arthroscopic surgery, and right elbow ulnar neuritis in 2023. In 2024, an oblique strain gave way to an internal brace procedure on a torn UCL on May 30, ending his year after four starts.
This year brought a left leg strain in late May and right elbow inflammation in August. Whitlock then allowed no earned runs in eight September appearances, covering 7 1/3 innings, before imaging diagnosed a fractured right tibia. Six weeks in a walking boot, with no surgery, is the plan, and he is expected to be ready for spring training.
On that damaged leg, he pitched the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees, allowing three earned runs and three walks in 1 1/3 innings of Game 2, including a Cody Bellinger homer. His career postseason line is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA and nine strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings over seven games. His best October came in 2021, a 2.16 ERA in five appearances as Boston reached the ALCS.
Whitlock sets up closer Aroldis Chapman, whose 2027 option vested at $13 million to $14 million, and has a 2.03 ERA over more than 124 innings since the UCL procedure. Boston controls him through 2028.
Red Sox Announce Final Decision on $8.25 Million Reliever Amid Offseason Moves