Garrett Richards Called Red Sox ‘First Class’ After Signing

The signing of right-handed pitcher Garrett Richards is official.

Rumors of a one-year, $10 million deal with a 2022 club option were reported early last week, and the team announced the acquisition of the former San Diego Padre on Wednesday afternoon.

And as it turns out, it looks like a certain former Boston player helped sell the free agent on the Red Sox.

In addition to having the opportunity to pitch on the East Coast for the first time in his career, the 32-year-old also was enticed by Boston based on things he heard from former Padres teammate Mitch Moreland about the Red Sox organization.

“He had nothing but great things to say about the Red Sox,” Richards said of his discussions with Moreland, via MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “From top to bottom, they’re first class with how they handle the family stuff and how they give their players everything they need to be successful. Obviously, they’ve won championships. They’ve won a lot over the last 10 years or so. It was kind of a no-brainer for me. Obviously, I want to go somewhere that checks a lot of boxes. I wanted to go somewhere that’s going to provide everything we can for us to win ballgames.”

That last factor weighed heavily on the decision that Richards made. And despite Boston’s off season in 2020, he knows the organization has a long track history of being in the mix.

“I’m not getting any younger, and at this point in my career, winning becomes a main factor in decision-making on where I want to play,” Richards said.

“Obviously, a historic franchise like the Red Sox having interest in me and showing that they really wanted me to come play for them made me want to come play for them. I think it works on both ends. They showed a lot of interest and were sincere. I looked at it, like a challenge, playing in that division, but also knowing I was going to a team that’s going to score runs and have a lot of fun.”

Coming off Tommy John surgery in a shortened 2020 season, Richards went 2-2 with a 4.03 ERA in 14 appearances, 10 of which were starts.