Breaking: The Red Sox have ultimately emerged victorious in the race by acquiring a $50 million star who is reportedly set to be benched.

They made it clear in 2022 when they gave James Paxton a special deal even though they knew he would need at least a year off to heal from Tommy John surgery. After that move proved successful, Boston chose to take a chance once more and sign a pitcher who might not be available for some time.

MLB reporter Michael Mayer reports that Michael Fulmer signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox on Thursday. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo verified the information.

The conditions of the agreement are unknown, but Fulmer is anticipated to miss the whole 2024 campaign while recovering from UCL reconstruction surgery. Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2019; the surgery’s anticipated recuperation time is comparable to that of his most recent procedure.

The 30-year-old, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, finished the previous season 3-5 with a 4.42 ERA in 58 games. After undergoing his first season-ending surgery, Fulmer became a reliever and ended up finishing 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 2016 while with the Detroit Tigers.

Fulmer has appeared in 262 big league games to date, going 37–50 with a 3.94 ERA. Over 50 appearances have been made in each of the previous three seasons. He was touted previously in the offseason by NESN.com as a potential target.