Red Sox signed RHP Clay Buchholz to a four-year, $29.945 million contract extension.
He will make $3.5 million in 2012, $5.5 million in 2013, $7.7 million in 2014 and $12 million in the last year of the deal. The contract also includes two club options, worth $13 million (with a buyout of $245,000) in 2016 and $13.5 million (with a $500,000 buyout) in 2017. The 2017 option increases to $14 million if Buchholz finishes first or second in Cy Young voting at any point during the contract. In other words, Boston has the option to buy out his first three years of free agency. Buchholz, 26, finished 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 28 starts last season.