It looked like Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez was going to be one-and-done with the Red Sox when the club declined his $6.25 million option on Nov. 1.

But the lefty starter is returning to the Red Sox on a new one-year, $4.5 million contract that includes a $6 million option for 2022.

The sides agreed to terms on the new pact back on Jan. 16, and the Red Sox formalized it on Friday night.

¡°I was disappointed at one point, but at the same time, I told my agent, 'I want to wait, because I know they¡¯re trying to make a lot of moves, and I want to wait because all offseason, my mind was on Boston,'¡± said P¨¦rez. ¡°My heart, too. And I felt good last year, I enjoyed the short season that we played and especially I enjoyed the fans, [the interaction] with them after games. I think that¡¯s why I always told my agent, 'I want to be back, I just want to wait and let¡¯s see what they got for me,' and finally, we made the deal and now I¡¯m back.¡±

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Though 2020 was a tough one for the Red Sox, P¨¦rez expressed his enthusiasm for Boston and was open about his desire to remain with the Sox throughout the season.

In a depleted Boston rotation, P¨¦rez was the only pitcher to make all 12 of his starts in the shortened 60-game season. He went 3-5 with a 4.50 ERA. His ERA was bloated by a shellacking he took in his final start of the season, but he did his job for the most part. In fact, P¨¦rez allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of those 12 starts.

He figures to have a lot more help around him in 2021. Eduardo Rodriguez, who didn¡¯t throw a pitch last season due to COVID-19 and myocarditis, is expected to be a full-go. Staff ace Chris Sale, who also didn¡¯t pitch last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, could be back by midseason. And the Sox signed hard-throwing Garrett Richards as a free agent.

¡°I think it¡¯s going to be a good rotation,¡± P¨¦rez said. ¡°I mean, last year, we had a lot of injuries. We didn¡¯t have Eduardo, and a lot of people got hurt. So, this year, I think we¡¯re going to have a great, great pitching staff and we just have to stay healthy. Stay healthy and stay together. We¡¯re going to do good things because, like I said, you play with your heart, something special is going to happen.¡±

What excites P¨¦rez the most is the chance to play for manager Alex Cora, who stepped away from the Red Sox last season due to his connection to the Houston Astros¡¯ sign-stealing scandal, but was rehired by the club in November.

¡°I think he's a champion, you know, and he¡¯s going to train us to be champions,¡± said P¨¦rez.