New Detail Revealed About Red Sox’s Ranger Suárez Contract

Ranger Suárez’s deal with the Boston Red Sox features an extra wrinkle unlikely to affect his stay with the organization.

Suárez’s five-year, $130 million contract includes a mutual option for the 2031 season, as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. ESPN’s Alden González and Jeff Passan corroborated that detail.

The player and team must each approve a mutual option, which is rarely exercised because it seldom benefits both sides. Former Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito entered free agency this offseason after declining a $19 million mutual option.

Suárez will be 35 by the time he and the Red Sox decide on his mutual option, so Boston could be ready to move on unless the left-hander keeps performing at a high level. In that case, he could decline and seek a better payday.

However, Suárez’s contract notably does not include any reported opt-outs. He’ll stay in Boston for the long haul after spending the last eight years with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Suárez earned a lucrative multi-year deal by registering a 3.20 ERA in 26 starts last season. The ground-ball artist induced weak contact with a 31.1 percent hard-hit rate while boasting the lowest walk rate (5.8%) of his career.

After losing Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs, the Red Sox pivoted by bolstering their rotation. They already beefed up their starting staff by acquiring Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals and Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Agent Scott Boras said Thursday, per Cotillo, that contract negotiations between Boston and Suárez “went rather quick” once chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reached out to express interest.