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Busy Sox Add Veteran Saito To Bullpen
By Administrator | January 10, 2009
It has been a BUSY week for the front office staff on Yawkey Way.
After being left standing at the altar by free agent 1B Mark Teixeira, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said that the club would remain vigilant for opportunities… he said the team would look to make low- to mid-dollar investments in players who could provide big dividends. Epstein is proving to be true to his word.
Over the last week, in addition to coming to an agreement with reserve OF Rocco Baldelli and OF/1B Mark Kotsay, the Red Sox finalized a deal with starter Brad Penny, reached an agreement in principal with future Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz, and today signed former Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito to a one-year deal (with an option for a second year). [NOTE: The total base salary to be paid to all five players is less than Teixeira's salary]
All three pitchers are coming off seasons in which they were hampered by injuries. They are potential impact players who, in a depressed economy, found few teams willing to make even a modest financial commitment. The Red Sox have made such a commitment to each of them in the hope that one or more will result in a BIG payoff in 2009.
The Sox and Saito agreed to a one-year deal, with a team option for 2010… the deal reportedly pays Saito a base salary of between $1.5 - $2.5 million, with incentives that could be worth another $5 million annually.
Saito, who had 18 saves and a 2.49 ERA last season despite being limited by an elbow injury,
The 38-year-old Saito was 12-7, 1.95, and 81 saves in three major league seasons with Los Angeles… he had eighteen saves and a 2.49 ERA last year in a season abbreviated by elbow problems.
In announcing the deal, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said: “He’s done an amazing job since coming over from Japan three years ago. If you look at his performance and how he’s gone about it the last three years, he’s been just about as good as anyone in baseball”.
The Red Sox now have four natives of Japan under contract for 2009… Saito joins Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima and Junichi Tazawa in Boston.
The new reliever said: “I’m very excited. Obviously, I know that Daisuke and Okajima are there right now and I’ve met them several times in the past. I also understand that there are a lot of Japanese staff working with the team. Atmosphere-wise, it’s going to be a very nice fit for myself. I’m just very, very excited to be a Red Sox right now”.
Topics: Sox Front Office, Sox Players, SoxTransactions |
