If Rick Porcello gets his way, he’ll be pitching in Boston for years to come.
Porcello is one of a handful of notable Red Sox players set to become free agents at the conclusion of the 2019 Major League Baseball campaign. While the right-hander is set to enter his fifth season in Boston without a new deal, it appears he and his team made efforts to get an extension squared away.
“Myself and my agent (Jim Murray) — my agent was handling it — he approached them and expressed my desire to continue to want to play here,” Porcello told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford on Wednesday. “We expressed our willingness to take a discount to make that work. Conceptionally there were talks about it but as the spring went on economically they didn’t feel like it was going to fit. It pretty much kind of fizzled out and there were really no further talks beyond that. That’s pretty much it.”
Despite his openness to take a discount, Porcello made it clear to Bradford that the Red Sox never made an actual offer to him in the months leading up to the new season. Although president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has suggested Thursday’s Opening Day will be the cut-off date for all contract negotiations, Porcello apparently would be willing to talk shop during the campaign.
“Yeah. It’s how badly I want to play here,” Porcello said. “I don’t think it would be a distraction for me. I would be more than willing and open to continue to talk if there is any interest from the Red Sox end going forward. But it’s pretty much up to them at this point.
“I’ve been here for four years now, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve really enjoyed playing for and representing this organization and this city. It’s kind of where my heart is. It doesn’t always work out like that to be able to continue to live it out or follow through. That part, at this point, is a little disappointing. Just keep on trucking and see where it ends up.”
Chris Sale previously had expressed a similar desire to stay in Boston for the long haul. The left-hander got his wish early, though, as the Red Sox last week inked their ace to a five-year extension that’s reportedly worth $145 million. Porcello likely won’t come close to matching that price tag, but it’s clear money isn’t the top priority for the 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner.
