Boston Red Sox MLB 2015 Roster News, Rumors: Rick Porcello's Contract Extended

By Joshua Lobdell, Christian Post Contributor Friday, April 10, 2015

Rick Porcello just got paid. Following an off-season trade to the Boston Red Sox and a year away from hitting the open market Porcello signed a four-year $82.5 million extension that will likely keep him in Boston and may even make him the ace of their staff.

The deal will pay Porcello $20 million per season for the first two years and then $21 million dollars for the last two. It also contains a limited no trade clause where Porcello can block trades to three clubs.

$20 million a season may be a lot to pay for Porcello, and the Red Sox have gambled big on their off season acquisition. They are betting he takes the next step in his development. In Detroit Porcello was a back-of-the-rotation starter with decent stuff. At 26-years-old he is entering his sixth full season in the major leagues but he has never shown that he has Ace stuff. He does induce a lot of ground ball, and that will serve him well in Fenway Park, but he is still somewhat unproven.

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In Detroit he pitched behind some of the greatest arms of this generation. He has yet to earn an All-Star nod, a single vote for a Cy Young, and has only pitched more than 200 innings once. While he does have a lot of upside, he goes from being another rotation guy with the Tigers to being the guy with the Red Sox.

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald sums up Porcello as a young player who fits the Red Sox roster, not necessarily a superstar on his own.

"Porcello's youth is the main draw, but that youthful resume does not contain a surplus of markers that signal greatness," he wrote. "There are some tantalizing hints that the right-hander will see his best years in the near future, and the chief reasons stem from his age. One reason why the Red Sox have faith in Porcello is that the ballclub believes its infield defense is superior to the one that he had behind him in Detroit."

Now the Red Sox have to hope that Porcello take a giant step in his development so their bet on him can pay off.