The Red Sox announced this morning that they’ve formally exercised their 2018 club options over ace Chris Sale and closer Craig Kimbrel. Sale will earn $12.5MM in 2018, while Kimbrel will be paid $13MM.
Additionally, the Sox announced that they’ve outrighted left-hander Robbie Ross Jr. and infielder Josh Rutledge, each of who has elected free agency. Boston has also selected the contracts of outfielder Bryce Brentz and left-hander Williams Jerez from Triple-A Pawtucket.
The option decisions on Sale and Kimbrel were among the easiest in all of baseball. The pair finished out the season as two of the most valuable players on the Red Sox and two of the best in all of baseball in their respective roles. Sale led the American League with 214 1/3 innings and a remarkable 308 strikeouts (12.9 K/9), pitching to a stellar 2.90 earned run average along the way. Kimbrel, meanwhile, posted a 1.43 ERA with 35 saves in 69 innings and struck out a staggering 49.6 percent of the batters he faced (16.4 K/9). Sale’s contract includes a $13MM option for the 2019 season as well, while Kimbrel will be a free agent for the first time next winter.
Ross, 28, was limited to just 15 innings between the Majors and Triple-A this season due to a back injury that ultimately required surgical repair. Prior to that, however, he was a quality setup man in Boston, pitching to a 3.57 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 49.4 percent ground-ball rate in 116 innings in 2015-16. Lefties hit just .200/.302/.297 against Ross in that time, while righties hit him at a .260/.333/.388 clip. Ross would’ve been eligible for arbitration this offseason after earning $1.825MM in 2017. He’s expected to be healthy for Spring Training and could make for an affordable and experienced option for a team seeking left-handed bullpen help.
Rutledge, also 28, logged 118 plate appearances in 2017 — his third year with Boston. He’s seen very limited action with the Sox dating back to 2015, though, hitting just .252/.319/.313 in 259 plate appearances across those three seasons. The versatile Rutledge can handle second base, third base and shortstop, and he even saw 13 innings at first base for the Sox in 2017. He’ll likely land a minor league pact somewhere this offseason and compete for a bench role in Spring Training.
Seems like pretty obvious decisions.
They needed to bring in Tony LaRussa to make these decisions?
Yeah not sure Sales option was gonna get picked up. Much have took some last minute preaching from LaRussa
Wouldn’t have made much sense for the Saux not to do this regarding both players.
Yeah the good ole boy network is alive and well with DD… I think that high powered microscope needs to be trained on DD, cause you mention the word pen and it autos on his face!
Wow Chris Sale is criminally undercompensated
Overpaid as far as the playoffs go.
DD must be placing Jerez and Brentz on the 40-man roster in anticipation of a trade or two over the winter. Both have some good minor league numbers but just cannot break into the Sox 25-man roster.because there are more accomplished players ahead of them. Both might find a permanent MLB home elsewhere.
If they would have become subject to the Rule 5 draft that would be why they were added to the 40 man.
Both of these were no brain decisions.
Closer getting more than the starter that sucks.
Why are they holding onto to Brentz? He turns 29 this year and has fewer than 100 PA’s in the majors. He’s never going to have a role with the team.
The Sox went from having the youngest and most cutting edge FO to the oldest and most reactionary all because of a fat underachieving Panda