Red Sox hand Whitlock four-year, $18.75million contract

Boston Red Sox have rewarded Garrett Whitlock by handing the 25-year-old a new long-term contract. The Red Sox took a chance on the right-hander - a gamble that paid off after they selected him in the 2020 Rule 5 draft. On Sunday, Boston announced Whitlock has agreed a four-year, $18.75million deal until 2026 that includes club options covering 2027 and 2028. Whitlock is also still eligible for the league’s bonus pool for pre-arbitration players both this season and in 2023, which means he has the opportunity to earn even more money.

Whitlock was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2017 and was left unprotected in the December 2020 Rule 5 draft after undergoing Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament) in 2019, allowing the Red Sox to snatch him away from their biggest rivals. He went on to post a 1.96 ERA in 46 appearances as a rookie last season, striking out 81 and walking 17 in 73 1/3 innings. He then pitched to a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings over five playoff appearances.

“This is a great day,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. “You all know the talent that Garrett has that’s been on display from day one in [spring training] last year, all the way up through October.”

Whitlock was mostly a starter in the minor leagues, a role he could someday return to with Boston. “We believe, we hope, we’re just scratching the surface of what he can accomplish,” Bloom added.

Between club options and incentives, Whitlock’s deal could be worth $44.5million over six years. “I mean, it’s still so surreal. It’s crazy. It really hasn’t felt like it has hit yet,” Whitlock said. “It was just like two years ago, I was working two jobs, trying to survive the Covid season and everything like that. And so, now, just to be sitting here doing this, it’s all very surreal.”