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The Red Sox made their two option decisions Thursday, exercising a $13.5 million option on right-hander Clay Buchholz and declining a $3.75 million option on catcher Ryan Hanigan. The moves were first reported by Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald.
Hanigan will earn an $800k buyout and will test free agency this winter.
Buchholz, 32, has been with the Red Sox since 2007 and posted a 4.78 ERA in 37 appearances (21 starts last season). Though the righty struggled mightily early in the season, his success down the stretch was enough to convince the Sox to bring him back instead of dipping into a weak market for free-agent starting pitching.
Hanigan, a 10-year major-league veteran and Massachusetts native, hit just .171 in 35 games for Boston last year and lost his roster spot due to the emergence of Sandy Leon, Christian Vasquez and Blake Swihart as catching options for the Red Sox. Hanigan will look to latch on with his fourth major-league team this offseason after stints in Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Boston.