Sox Will Not Offer Beckett 5-Year Deal

After a rather quiet few weeks surrounding the Josh Beckett contract extension talks, some new information emerged last night. According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, a person familiar with the contract negotiations has said the Red Sox will not use the John Lackey, 5-year deal as a benchmark when talking to Beckett and his agent. Supposedly, the team has made it clear they will not offer Beckett anything above 4-years due to the concern with Beckett’s shoulder health long-term.

The shoulder issues that are of concern to the Sox relate to a discovery during Beckett’s minor league days with the Florida Marlins. Beckett has a fraying rotator cuff, which presumably will continue to deteriorate as he throws more innings and gets older. The Red Sox front office is concerned about their return on investment if Beckett’s shoulder gets worse and he isn’t able to perform like an ace starter.

This information comes just days after Beckett was named the opening day starter for the second straight year. Over the course of his 4 years with the Red Sox, Beckett has a combined 65-34 record in 122 starts. He has pitched 200+ innings in 3 of the 4 seasons and has compiled 751 K’s over that same span. During the 2007 World Series run, Beckett went 4-0 with a 1.20 era and collected 35 K’s in just 30 innings in the post-season on route to the championship.

Part of the concern for the Red Sox has to be the amount of money they have locked up in their starting rotation. We all know the saga of the $100 million man Dice-K and the 5-year, $82.5 million invested in newcomer John Lackey. Theo needs to be conscious about not investing too much of the team’s payroll in their starting rotation, especially those who are on the older side. If Beckett is to remain with the Red Sox, he would need to accept a shorter deal, probably in the $13-$17 million per year range.

I doubt we will see a contract extension for Beckett before the season begins, and we may even see him get his feet wet in the free agent market next off-season, especially if a 5th year is important for him. For now, let’s hope Beckett can focus on dominating the competition on the field and not get distracted by the off-the-field negotiations. His opening day start is now just 7 days away…