Sox, Arroyo working on deal

The Red Sox announced the signing of Guillermo Mota yesterday (one year, $3 million), but the most intriguing development wasn't the deal that got done but the deal that is in the works: a multiyear contract, probably for three years, for Bronson Arroyo, the 28-year-old righthander who just three winters ago was waived by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mota, Arroyo, and Josh Beckett were the three arbitration-eligible players scheduled to exchange salary figures with the Sox. Mota, who made $2.6 million with Florida last season, avoided the process by signing. Beckett, who made $2.4 million with the Marlins a year ago, asked for $4.9 million, while the Sox offered $3.75 million. Arroyo, who made $1.925 million last season, is seeking $4.2 million, while the club is offering $2.95 million.

Arbitration hearings -- at which an arbitrator chooses either the player's figure or the team's -- will be held between Feb. 1-20, unless the team and player come to an agreement beforehand.

The Sox intend to avoid hearings with both Beckett and Arroyo, though the club's approach with each pitcher appears decidedly different. Beckett -- who is new to the team, new to the American League, and comes with some injury concerns (finger blisters and right shoulder tendinitis) -- is someone the team would prefer to ink to a one-year deal.

As co-general manager Jed Hoyer put it at the winter meetings in Dallas, ''We kind of want to date for a while" before making a long-term commitment. Ideally, the 25-year-old Beckett performs well this year and the team signs him during or after the season to a contract of some length.

However, with Arroyo, the Sox know exactly what they have: a pitcher likely to make 30 starts, win 10-15 games, and post an ERA in the mid-to-low 4s. That's why, according to a source with knowledge of the talks, the pitcher and team are progressing toward a deal that would buy out Arroyo's remaining arbitration years. The source was ''optimistic" that a multiyear deal would get done.

Though he turns 29 next month, Arroyo has logged only three-plus years of major league service, meaning he's three full seasons shy of free agency. Given Arroyo's steadiness (he was 10-9 with a 4.03 ERA in 2004 and 14-9 with a 4.51 ERA in 2005) and good health (he's never been on the disabled list), it appears to make sense for both the player and team to avoid having to work out a contract each year for the next three years.

In 2005, Arroyo led Sox pitchers in quality starts (six innings, three earned runs or fewer) with 20. He established career highs in wins, starts (32), innings (205), and strikeouts (100). In his nine losses, the team scored only 18 runs.

As the Sox continue signing pitchers, they still appear no closer to dealing David Wells, who wants to return to the West Coast. San Diego is Wells's preferred destination, but the Padres and Sox, according to a source with direct knowledge, have not spoken in a few weeks. The Padres, by all indications, continue to offer outfielder Dave Roberts for Wells, but only if the Sox also take on 39-year-old Woody Williams and his contract (a guaranteed $5 million plus $2 million in starts-made bonuses similar to those in Wells's contract).

As for Mota, there were no discussions of a multiyear deal. He's due to become a free agent at season's end, and that reality, coupled with a poor final four months of 2005 (46 appearances, 5.18 ERA), made a one-year deal desirable to both Mota and the Sox.

Still, Mota was unmatched as a setup man with Los Angeles in 2003 and 2004, when he pitched 201 2/3 innings (tops in the National League) and maintained a svelte 2.50 ERA. It's the Sox' hope that he returns to that form, when he and Eric Gagne formed baseball's most devastating tandem at the back end of a bullpen.

The 32-year-old Mota, who was obtained along with Beckett and Mike Lowell in the Thanksgiving Day blockbuster with Florida, is 22-24 lifetime with a 3.61 ERA.

The Sox announced in late October pricing for almost all tickets in Fenway Park for 2006. The only prices not announced were those for the 404 dugout seats, located in Rows 1 and 2 behind the plate and along the baselines.

The 88 home plate dugout seats will remain $300 per game this season, according to Sam Kennedy, the team's senior vice president for sales and marketing. The 166 on-deck dugout seats, located between the screen and the dugouts, will increase from $275 to $300. The 150 extended-dugout seats will remain $250.

Fans purchasing these seats must commit to three- or four-year agreements. Thus, a home plate seat would run you about $24,000 for this season and about $73,000 over the life of a minimum agreement.