SOX EXTEND BECKETT TO 2014

Sox fans won't have to worry about the bulk of their rotation for a few years now, as the team and Beckett concluded a 4 year extension. The signing will keep Beckett in a Sox uniform until 2014. The Sox have John Lackey and Beckett under contract until 2014, Jon Lester until 2013 (with a $13M option for 2014), and Daisuke Matsuzaka until 2013.

Beckett's deal is worth about $68 million, which averages to $17 million a season. That's not cheap, but the length of the deal is excellent. If Beckett excels, then the Sox have gotten their money's worth. If not, the deal is short enough to be tolerated.

I still hesitate to call Beckett an "Ace." His career's been too up-and-down for that. But you're not going to find pitchers of his calibre for less money than this deal. And had the Sox, with a withered offense, not retained Beckett, they'd be screwed in 2011. There will be no free agent pitchers of his stature, and the free agent hitters won't be very impressive either. The Sox need to win with pitching.

Source:
NY Times