BOSTON -- The Red Sox agreed to one-year contracts with right-handers Steven Wright and Richard Hembree on Thursday, avoiding arbitration with the duo, a source told MLB.com.
Knuckleballer Wright will earn $1.75 million, and Hembree's deal is $1.3125 million
The deadline for teams to exchange salary figures with all arbitration-eligible players is Friday at 1 p.m. ET. The World Series champion Red Sox have three cornerstone players eligible for arbitration: American League Most Valuable Player Award winner Mookie Betts, shortstop Xander Bogaerts and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.
The team's other arbitration-eligible players are lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, utilityman Brock Holt, right-handed relievers Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman and catchers Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart.
Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is a believer in the file-and-go system, meaning that the club plans on going to arbitration with any players who don't sign before Friday's deadline to exchange figures.
Wright is a key and versatile member of Boston's pitching staff when healthy, but he's had a tough time staying off the disabled list the last two seasons. In 2018, he went 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA in 20 appearances, four of them starts. Wright was inactive for all three rounds of the postseason due to recurring issues with his surgically repaired left knee. He underwent an arthroscopic surgery in October with the hope he will be ready for the start of '19.
Hembree was a workhorse for the Sox last season, appearing in 67 games and notching a 4.20 ERA.