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Sox, Pedroia Agree To Six-Year Extension
By Administrator | December 3, 2008
The Red Sox and AL MVP Dustin Pedroia have agreed on a six-year, $40.5 million contract extension that will keep the second baseman in Boston through 2014, with an additional team option for 2015.
“El Caballito” will receive a signing bonus of $1.5 million. He will earn salaries of $1.5 million (2009), $3.5 million (2010), $5.5 million (2011), $8 million (2012), $10 million (2013) and $10 million (2014).
The team option will pay him $11 million in 2015… he will receive a $500,000 buyout if the team does not exercise the option.
It is one of the four biggest nonarbitration deals ever, along with the contracts given to Hanley Ramirez, David Wright and Ryan Braun.
If he wins another MVP Award, his 2014 salary and 2015 option will increase by $2 million each… if he should finish second or third in MVP voting, the salary / option go up by $1 million each. He can earn the escalators twice.
The deal buys out all three arbitration years and two subsequent seasons of free-agency for Pedroia.
At a Fenway Park news conference, Pedroia said: “I want to be here a long time. Hopefully in the next six years we can win some championships”.
General manager Theo Epstein said: “He embodies just about everything we look for in a Red Sox player, and that makes this a great day for the organization. Dustin plays hard all the time. He plays to win. He plays for his teammates, not himself. What’s not to like? If we had 25 guys like him, we’d be in good shape. I don’t think we’d be the Red Sox right now without Dustin Pedroia”.
Pedroia has accrued an impressive assortment of post-season awards in the aftermath of the ‘08 season. In addition to winning the MVP Award, he also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award… this in addition to being named the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year last year.
Oh yeah… he also won a World Series ring last year.
Topics: Sox Players, SoxTransactions |
