MLB news: Rick Porcello signs 4 year, $82.5 million extension with Red Sox

Before Rick Porcello even threw a regular season pitch for the Boston Red Sox, he had a new contract in hand. Porcello and the Red Sox agreed on a four-year, $82.5 million contract that will start in 2016. The deal, which was first reported by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe on Monday, will pay Porcello $20 million in 2016 and 2017, and $21 million in 2018 and 2019. He is currently in his final year of arbitration, earning $12.5 million in 2015.

Porcello went 76-63 with a 4.30 ERA in five seasons with the Tigers. He pitched over 1,000 innings in a Tigers uniform, ranking 36th in franchise history. His 76 wins are the 29th-highest total in Tigers history. His last two years in a Tigers uniform were his most productive, with a 3.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.26 WHIP in 381 2/3 combined innings.

Porcello's induction into the $20 million pitcher club resulted in a bit of sticker shock, especially among Tigers fans who have watched Porcello's growing pains over the past five years. His peripheral numbers improved every year, but his ERA remained in the mid-4's until a breakout 3.43 ERA in 2014. Porcello also topped the 200-inning plateau for the first time last season, and led the league with three shutouts. The Red Sox are hopeful that surrounding Porcello with a solid infield defense will help him (finally) reach his full potential.

The deal represents a bit of a gamble for the Red Sox, but one worthy of praise. Porcello is the latest in a series of contracts -- Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez this offseason the others -- that pay a premium for a player's prime seasons in order to avoid the inevitable decline in their mid-to-late 30s. Porcello, still only 26 years old, is now under contract through his age-29 season. He will reach free agency as a 30-year-old, the same age as recent signees Max Scherzer and Jon Lester. Sandoval, a 28-year-old who has battled concerns over his weight throughout his career, is only under contract for five years. Ramirez is the oldest of this group at 31, but his contract is only four years in length.

The extension is a bit of a gut punch for the Tigers, who face a lot of uncertainty in their rotation heading into 2016. David Price and Alfredo Simon are both in the final year of their respective contracts, and Porcello's extension takes one potential free agent signee off the market. There will likely be a few more extensions prior to next winter, thinning the pitching options for Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski.

Elsewhere in baseball

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