Speier:
Some have asked why Richards (1/$10M) and not Kluber (1/$11M). As I wrote below, Sox were interested in something other than a clean one-year deal with Kluber. Almost every free agent deal Bloom has reached has included additional year(s) of control
That structure reflects what the Sox have acknowledged - they’re thinking of impact beyond the immediate season at hand.
That control has been either option years, additional arb-eligible years, or with Hernández, a second year. (Exceptions - Pillar and McHugh - signed during spring training last year, when there were needs and almost no unsigned alternatives.)
Additionally, Kluber had great reason to prefer the Yankees on a straight one-year deal for comparable dollars, given the chance to work with Eric Cressey in NY, and the greater chance of competing for a title.