Official: Timlin returning

With a deadline of midnight tonight for offering salary arbitration to their free agents, one club official said last night that the Sox had reached terms with reliever Mike Timlin on a deal to bring back the righthander for an 18th season in the big leagues, sixth with the Sox. The Sox are believed to have offered Timlin, who turns 42 March 10, around $3 million, a raise of around $300,000 from his 2007 salary.

Timlin, who began the year with a strained oblique muscle and had shoulder issues, appeared in just 50 games this past season, his fewest since 1995. But he was scored upon in just two of his last 22 regular-season appearances, and struck out Kaz Matsui and Troy Tulowitzki in a key moment in Game 4 of the World Series.

Excerpted from a story in today's Boston Globe. Reporter Amalie Benjamin also contributed.