Whitlock Stays at $8.25 Million, and Boston Locks In One Piece of a Thin Bullpen

The Red Sox exercised Garrett Whitlock's $8.25 million option for 2027 on Sunday night, keeping the 30-year-old right-hander in the fold as Boston begins sorting through a bullpen that took a beating in 2026. It is a straightforward move — the option existed, they picked it up — but it matters in context.

The bullpen picture heading into next offseason is complicated. Kutter Crawford, Eduardo Rivera, and Justin Slaten all finished the year on the 60-day IL, and the depth chart behind Aroldis Chapman thins out quickly. Whitlock slots in as a reliable middle-relief option, the kind of arm that doesn't make headlines but absorbs innings when the structure around him frays. Boston needed him back.

What the Whitlock decision doesn't solve is the broader question of bullpen construction. Seven players ended the season on the injured list, and the relief corps was already stretched before the postseason. My read is that Breslow has one confirmed piece now and a lot of open questions still to answer — this is a floor, not a plan.