The Red Sox have agreed to an extension with young right-hander but seem to have at least some interest in hammering out another. Righty told that he has discu sed an extension with the club, though nothing is imminent. He had the matter with the club a couple of years ago, with nothing developing at that time. Houck, 28 in June, has posted some intriguing results in the majors but hasnt yet fully established himself as a viable starter. He has thrown 256 innings over the past four seasons with a 3.86 earned run average. His 24.9% strikeout rate and 51% ground ball rare are both a few ticks better than par while his 8.8% walk rate is right around average. But last years 106 innings pitched were a career high at the big league level, his first time getting over the 70 line. Mi sing time last year wasnt his fault, as he was hit in the face by a comebacker and suffered a facial fracture. That injury required surgery and kept Houck on the injured list for over two months. Thats obviously fluky in nature but it still prevented him from getting to a full starters workload. In 2022, he also mi sed time due to lower back inflammation which required surgery, capping him at 60 innings for the year. Beyond the fact that Houck hasnt fully built up his workload, theres also the fact that his results have been better out of the bullpen. For his career, he has a 4.17 Tyler Wells Jersey as a starter but a 2.68 mark as a reliever, though the latter figure is in a fairly small sample size of just 53 2/3 innings and his peripherals are actually fairly close. His 25.9% strikeout rate as a reliever is just barely higher than his 24.6% clip as a starter, whereas his 9.5% walk rate as a reliever is actually higher than his 8.6% clip as a starter. The wide difference in the ERAs could be down to a bit of luck, as he has a .298 BABIP as a starter but a .274 out of the pen, in addition to having a 69.4% strand rate when starting games as opposed to 77.3% as a reliever. His 3.70 and 3.12 FIP as a starter and reliever respectively suggest the difference may not be so wide. On the other hand, he has significant splits, with lefties having hit him at a .251/.343/.420 rate thus far compared to a line of .214/.282/.283 from righties. If that continues, he might be better served working in a bullpen role where he can be more easily protected from exposure to opposing lefty hitters. Houck should get plenty of opportunity to prove himself in the rotation this year. The Red Sox came into the winter looking to upgrade the starting staff but havent done so. They traded away and signed , but the latter now seems like he may be slated for a due to a partial UCL tear and flexor tendon strain. A suming Giolito will at least mi s the start of the season, the Boston rotation consists of Bello, Houck, , and . Pivetta is an impending free agent and could wind up on the trade block if the Sox are out of contention this summer. Guys like , and are also on the 40-man roster but none of that trio has even 50 innings pitched in the big leagues yet. Given Houcks current status, it may be difficult to line up on a deal. Since hes unproven as a starter over a full season, the club may not want to make a significant commitment to him. From Houcks perspective, he may not want to take a low-ball offer at this moment. If he takes advantage of the open rotation in Boston and puts together a strong season in 2024, he could increase his earning power significantly. He currently has two years and 100 days of service time. That means he is slated to qualify for arbitration for the first time after 2024 and is on pace for free agency after 2027, which will be his age-31 season. Looking to Bostons long-term payroll picture, is under contract through 2033, but no one else is guaranteed a contract beyond 2027. and are the only players guaranteed a salary beyond 2026. Spenser Watkins Jersey
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