Sox, Youkilis agree on long-term extension

so if you extrapolate the contracts for Youkilis and Pedroia out to 8 years you would pay approximately $135 M for the two of them. Compared to Texeria getting $180 M, I would say the Sox got the best deal, by far. Throw the remaining $45 M at Papelbon and I think you got the core of this team tied up for the next 6-8 years for the same as the Yanks are paying for one player who will probably start to go downhill before that contract has gone much past halfway.

YOOOUUUUUUUK!!!!!!!! Good deal. Sign him up and reap the benefits of his plate approach, intensity work ethic and versatility. He continues to get better and we can lock in that side of the infield with fellow dirt-dog.

Great move. Another Sox player who wants to stay in Boston.

Youk has continued to improve each year and has become a key player on the team.

Awesome! Youk and Pedroia are the cornerstones for the next 4 years. THe Sox have pitching. Nice to see us taking care of 2 players that give effort every game and every at bat.

Sign him up now. Also sign Varitek . Hold your nose Theo and get Boras out of the room ASAP, but sign Tek and let him finish his career in Boston (two years). That way he can be a bridge to the next catcher and this pitching staff can breathe easier. Say what you will - he is the glue for the staff. Most of the catchers mentioned in recent speculation aren't any better hitters than he was last year, and the few who are aren't good defensively. Boras screwed Varitek plain and simple. Arbitration would have been the best way to go, and as the item above points out the Sox don't like to go that route, yet they offered it. (Of course they protected themselves re: draft picks by doing it).
In the immortal words of Larry The Cable Guy - Get 'er done! Youk and Tek. Sign 'em up and let's get going with Spring training.
BTW - poop on the world baseball classic. Let Bud Selig organize a world shuffleboard tournament and let the MLB play baseball. Or hold the damn thing in a tropical clime in November. It doesn't belong gumming up Spring Training. Selig ought to hang 'em up. Well, he should have hung 'em up long ago.

Ho loves Youuuuuuuuuk!!!

Good for you Youk! Now we need to place the "C" on your uni, get a catcher, extend Paps contract and count down to Van Day...

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUK!!!!!!!!!!

"Throw the remaining $45 M at Papelbon "

Brilliant. Not sure he'd take it, but it's worth a shot.

Amen to that, Ralph. The Sox are proving that you can win with players that you drafted and developed. The Yankees flirted with this briefly last year, but have a new stadium with very expensive seats to fil - so they've gone back to signing/trading big name players for megabucks. It hasn't worked the last seasons (Moose, Giambi, Damon, Abreu, Pavano), and it probably won't now.

Another solid business venture by the Red Sox executives. Youkilis is a solid person with exceptional baseball skills. Go Red Sox!!!

bonehead signing. He will not earn that money.

$40M over 4 years sounds like a great deal to me. He's not TEX, but he does put up excellent numbers, and we know he can come through in the clutch. TEX hasn't had a chance to prove that yet in a big market.

Theo's looking smarter and smarter, isn't he? They have lots of flexibility to get it done right now.

LOVE IT.

How can you not like this? He is at risk for a Mo Vaughn body type, but will only be signed through age 34. Perfect signing.

Ralph, you are right, but the difference is, Youk and Pedroia could not become free agents and would have to settle the arbitration salary awarded, so their numbers will always be lower than a free agents numbers would be. Tex could sign with anybody (theoreticly) and so his numbers may be higher than his worth.
But anyway, Great job Theo!

Great move for the Sox

Youk 40 million for four years
Pedroia 40 million for 6 years

Who won the MVP award?

YOOOOUUUUUUK!!

#1 I couldnt have said it better myself. Once again Theo and the boys prove they are the best front office in baseball.

Great move. Another Sox player who wants to stay in Boston.

Youk has continued to improve each year and has become a key player on the team.

I'd guess economic reality caught up and getting the most he can with some security. The Boras crowd sneered in the Fall, now they're unemployables!

Great deal!! He has the work ethic that fits the ongoing personality of this team.
I'll sleep a little better tonight knowing that Youk is a Sox for at least 4 more.

This is a great move for the Sox, but I have to say I'm a bit stunned Youk decided to do it. He's getting close to free agency, will make easily $9-10M in arbitration and this contract will take him right out of his prime. He had to wonder if a guy like Teixera could command $180M, how much could he have gotten? That said, it's another great deal for the Red Sox.

Apparently Bick is still saying they are not even close on XM radio

I agree with Ralph. Next just sign the best closer in the game up and the core of the Sox is locked away for a few years.

Wow, 10 Mill a yr for a guy coming off his first good season.

What should I get? I took a job as a closer for the good of the team and I throw 2 innings for some saves.

Great news. He's a key to our team. Let's lock up Pap.

If you sign Paps for $45M, it would probably be for 4 years. Youk is for four years. So it doesn't look like signing them locks up the core for 6-8 years.

great chemistry duing the season,i lke the move,he s only 30years old

If true, this is the best news of the off-season for the Sox. $10 mil/year is stupid money but the baseball value Youk gives the Sox makes this a brilliant signing in today's baseball, for all parties. Youk IS a true Red Sox man and has walked the walk with this. Good vibes everywhere. WEEI says it's a risk for the Sox but that is true for EVERY contract so I say this is the lowest risk contract imaginable in baseball terms. Youk is synonymous with WORK.

Go Sox! Go Youk!

This is a player who actually "deserves" this type of salary. High production, low maintenance, loves playing, loves playing here. I wish I was this compatible with my wife!

Tomen8r from Hooksett, NH

This is a player who actually "deserves" this type of salary. High production, low maintenance, loves playing, loves playing here. I wish I was this compatible with my wife!

Lets hope he doesn't get cold feet...The ink isn't on the Contract..The best we can hope is that he is happy in Boston and really wants to stay here.If he signs its a good deal for both parties,we get a guy who exemplifies a good work ethic and a good teammate... Lets hope it true.Welcome back too Mark Kotsay also as he officially signed his 1yr deal ....

"Interestingly, in late December, Youkilis's agent, Joe Bick, said it was unlikely that the player would agree to a long-term deal this offseason."

In late December, the stock market had "seen its lows" and the Yankees were handing out record-setting contracts like lollipops. But that was then, and this is now. Players who refused arbitration are now having major regrets. And Yuke sees the writing on the wall. Good move to ink a deal right now, though I think the Sox would be better off locking him in for 6.

No doubt Boras is telling the batless Varitek that he can still get him a four-year contract at ten mill per. If Tek still believes this, he's a fool.

YOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKKK. I guess this makes up for me finding out that my base salary was cut 10% today. sort of.

Here is how I see things now.

I will enjoy rooting for the Sox with the core of their own players intact. It will be enjoyable watching them challenge the Yankees and their hired cache of mercenaries. We now have players that are identifiable as Red Sox and not just money grubbing egomaniacs that want every penny someone like Scott Boras can wring from a team.

If the Yankees win the AL East with a pack of con artists so be it. But the pressure is all on them. If they fail it will be hilarious to watch.

In any case the Sox will go out on that field and give 100% every game and still are the Yankees equal if you ask me. I'd rather pay guys like Youk, Pedroia and Pap instead of giving all that money to the likes of the overrated Texiera, the post season gagger extrodinaire Sabbathia, or Mr I'm on the DL Burnett.

And the best thing about all this is, when the Yankees realize they have overpaid wildly for these hired guns, they will be stick with them for 6-8 years.

Right on! Youk has similar numbers to Texeira at a fraction of the cost. And, unlike the Yankess, we actually have a farm system. Take care of Paps and Bay next...

Good move by the Sox solidifying the core of the team by locking up Youk and Pedroia for the next 6-8 years. Sox fans have to stop reminiscing about the Yankees signing Tex. Let the Sox do their thing and the Yanks do theirs and lets see who does it best.

i really hope he stay's, ralph said it right we got the best deal. yankee's still suc*

Youk has earned every penny of this deal I wish him well every at bat.

Now THAT'S money well spent, Theo! God Bless Youks!

Ralph- I concur. The Youkster is a big-time DIRT DOG. There is a lot of good chemistry going on in the infield with Mikey and Pedey. If the Jedster has a good year, we'll be set. I have been maintaining right along- keep what we have; build the bullpen; pay the guys who are gamers. Cool! Now, we have to get JBay on board for lotsa summers at Fenway!

If he has another year like he did last year, he could have gotten another 5 million a year. Good sign Theo. You are the man!!!!!!

Pedroia got the shaft.

i love that pedroia and youk are signing these deals... but why are pedroia and youk signing these deals?

Pedroia got the shaft.

IT,S a great deal for booth yoouuuOXOuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk &THE SOX!

Wow, great move by the Sox to get these guys locked up at a tremendous value.

kudos to the sox. this is how the yankees were so dominant in the late 90's cause they did not lose the core players that were brought up through their farm system (jeter, williams, pettite, posada, rivera).

I think Youk came to his senses and realized that he should lock up a deal now instead of waiting another year where the salaries are probably going to deflate even more. Great move by the Sox brass. Time to lock up Paplebon and we will have the cornerstones of our young talent in place for many years.

thank you red sox kevin will be worth every cent on attitdude alone.

I am suprised the SOX did not push for more years.... 6 - 50 million.

Anybody else think that Papelbon is due for a contract as well? If he doesn't get one, he might get pissed. I think Papelbon should get somewhere around a four year, $36-44 million dollar range. He deserves it, since he is a top three closer in the game and has a career 0.00 ERA in the postseason and just turned 28. (I would actually prefer a six or seven year deal, but the Sox might not go so far. They can wait on Papelbon but he might hold out. Lester is due for a contract soon as well but is under their control until 2012 (I think). Another great move by the Sox. GO YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUK!

Atta boy Theo!!!! Let's get Pap locked-up and then the "core" is there for a long time!!

I'm glad to see I was wrong about Youk wanting to go to Cincy after 2010.
Tex will fold under the presure of NY just like C.C. in playoff games.
Get Pap and Jason Bay done next!

I think the savings from not having tex allows the franchise alot of flexibility to keep our core intact.
First Dusty, then Youk, Papelbon is next. Thinking about the averages of these deals.. would you rather have Dusty, Youk and Paps or Tex and Swisher?

Its a no brainer that the sox are doing it right!!

I am psyched about this move. It gives the Red Sox some degree of payroll stability locking in both Youkilis and Pedroia to long term contracts.

Ralph, terrific insight. I totally agree.

Youk is the type of player fans from other teams hate and for that I love him. Not a fan of the nasty beard/growth that looks thick enough to house a !Klung tribe, but a ball player through and through.

Great players want to play for a storied franchise -- go Sox.

Youkilis has had one good second half....make him do it again before signing him. There's no need to do it this off-season, he wouldn't have been that much more expensive next off-season, it at all.

This is a excellent move by Theo . He is the type of player who will play through anything, a throw back type to when ball players were ball players.The building block to further enhance the front office's therory that the scouting department is where it begins for the future.Feed the farm system and see where it take the Red sox .Reminds of the early 70's.

Now that the RED SOX Theo'd him in to a below market contract he'll be first rate trade bait. Theo will package Youk with Bucholz,Bowden & Anderson and send him to Minny for Mauer & Morneau. Never sign before your time. You think it's cold here.

I'm crossing my fingers and hope the deal is done. Go Sox, Go Youk.

Great news. He's the heart and soul of the team! Glad to see Sox recognizing that.
DB

Ralph,

Spin it anyway you want to.. We got embarressed in free agency, this team is going to STRUGGLE to score runs, and will be lucky to finish 3 rd.

2009 Pedroia,Youk signed, I hope Theo does'nt forget Papelbon.

About time!!!! Youk is going to get even better in the next few years. Great first basemen and thrid base which leaves the door open for trades, free agent signings, or bringing up Lars to play first.
The only negative about Youk is, he should have knock Manny's head off that day in the dugout.........Oh wait, Manny never had a head.

Its fun, routing for your own. Great news.

AWESOME! Best damn news I have heard since they signed Dustin "The MVP Jockey." All the other moves have been great this winter, but this is really sweet. Congrats Youk - you earned it. Red SOX Mgmt - congrats on doing a great job here and all winter.

Holy Cow!!... I'm 72 and a long time fan of baseball, football,hockey, and all sports in general but jeez, what's this world of pro sports coming to? I hope Kevin and all the rest of the millionaires playing kid's games don't forget who supports them and give a little back. That goes for management as well. I have to save up for a year to afford to take my grandkids to Fenway...that is, if we can even get tickets. However, I'm still rooting for Mil Sox over the Mil Yanks and all the rest of the Mil Teams.

I don't think you are going to find too many people in Boston who doesn't like this deal for the Red Sox. Great job. Now let's get Papelbon and Lester to sign long term and we are looking real good for years to come. Who said you need to spend a half of a BILLION dollars to field a good and potentially great team. The Red Sox have done it within. In Theo I Trust.

Great day in the Nation... Youk is the man! Texeria is overrated. I would take Pedroia and Youk over him any day! I think this was Theo's plan all along. Now if we can just wrap Paps up too, we will be in great shape for the future.

Texeria is a switch hitter who is a clearly a better hitter than Youkulis....Let see in June when Pedroia and Youk are having average years and the WEEI phones are ringing with crying fans...you get what you pay for...average players for average money..

Go Yankees!!!!

YEAH!!!! Another awesome signing by Theo and yet another example of a player willing to sacrafice a few million dollars in order to win. We all should be greatful we have teams like the Red Sox and Patriots that stock their rosters with selfless winners. We are lucky people.

And don't look now but it looks the Bruins are on their way and the Celts look like they have a decent opportunity to repeat.
Soak it up everyone!!!!

Well worth the investment; Youks is more than a great ball player as he has the grit, attitude and gamemanship to make baseball more than a money game. A great move by the front office !

This great news. I still wish the Sox ponied up for Teixeira.

Any chance Youk will lose his intensity now that he's snagged the multi-year deal???? Nah!!!! He's the YOUKKKKKK! And we love him!!!! When does this van leave for Camp Theo???? Go Sox!

Wow! with this economy did MLB get a bailout? They seem to have a money tree growing at Fenway.

Great move by the sox.Chance to lock up top talent who want to be team players rather than hired guns like the yankee crew.Wait till texeira starts to whine after a couple of so so seasons

Great signing, Theo!

I just hope you put a weight clause in there, though. We don't need another Mo Vaughn on our hands.

GO SOX!

CFD, Youk actually does do a ton of charity work and gives plenty back to the community so settle down.

yanks win the east next 4 years...

Hooray! Great news!! After all the lousy signings so far this winter, it's good to know that Youk is in the fold. He and Pedroia should rightfully be the nucleas of the team.... Now they need to get Papelbon signed as well. Keeping the currrent players happy is a big thing. I'm finally beginning to worry less and less about the Yankees and their overpriced signings.... Oh yeah, we still need a catcher...... If we had one more big bat we could sign Varitek.... He's still the best defensive option out there....

We don't want to give players who are in their declining years multi-year contracts. Now give Bay a mult-year deal or trade for a better OF and sign him to a multi-year deal. After Youk, Lowell, and Ortiz's contracts expire let them go or only sign them to one year deals from there on out. DON'T RE-SIGN DREW OR LUGO.

Living in the past kill teams. They end up with players who were stars in the past rhat are now average at best. [See the Yankees after starting to "buy a championship" started].

Tough to throw the other 45 at Pap (unless it's over 5 years or something). He's already had shoulder issues and has stated he wants to set the market for closers. Right now that means surpassing 3 years, 45 million. I doubt anyone gives him that on the open market, but maybe he thinks he can get it.

Watching Youk warm up for a game proved to me what a determined, hard working ballplayer he is. He deserves the big bucks now after a great year. He'll get even better because for him it isn't just for the money. Go Youuuuuuuk!

deservedly, way to go Sox -- fantastic news
B I G congrats Youk, you earned it !!!

GO Sox !!!

Awesome News! Great job Theo and Red Sox management for pulling this deal together and thanks Youk for being loyal to (y)our team. Youk 'da MAN!

Sweeeeet!!!!

Sweeeeet!!!!

This is an excellent signing for the Sox. Way to go Theo and Co. Congrats to Youk, whose perseverance and hard work have paid off, and will continue to do so. I agree with others on this board that the signing of Papelbon and Lester are now priorities.
A Happy New Year Indeed.
Go Sox!!

Youk is such a mentsch! I am just kvelling over this!

Great news! Youk and Pedroia are the heart & soul of this team and now we've got both of them signed long term. Good work by Theo & Co.

Sage Move

Now Lock up Paps

To commenters #19 and #44...I believe it's about the difference in service and years played as to why Pedroia got less per year than Youk. It's not at all about who's more worthy of the money.

To MattLee...the Yankees have been in "buy a championship" mode since free agency began. Unless I'm misremembering, players like Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter were early emblems of the same Steinbrenner policy that exists today. Sometimes it's worked for them, they actually *have* succeeded in that approach in a number of seasons, unfortunately. They've been trying it nearly every year for over thirty years now.

Read the book! The Helping Phriendly Book!
The Great and Knowledgable Youkulus !!!!!!
The one and only special author of The Helping Phriendly Book, written by the one and only great, special, and knowledgble YOUKULUS !!!!
Mama am I old enough to read Youkulus?????
READ THE BOOK !

I agree with The Claw. Get Tek signed, sealed and delivered. Let Boras suck lemons or whatever else will shut uis mouth, but please don't handle Tek the way the team treated Fisk! Sign Tek to play for a year or two then coach for the same time. Don't lose his work ethic and experience.

Youk got more than Pedroia because Youk can play first, third and outfield, all at a Gold Glove level; especially first and third. Also, Youk has a bigger body and potentially could hit for more power for a longer period of time.

For hopefully the last time.......Tex was never going to sign with our Sox, offering him stupid money would have hamstrung the Sox for years and the Sox would have had a player that didn't even want to be here; see ManRam. Like the Patriots it's better to have numerous good lower money players than one very good high money player; easier to replace when injuries occur; and they do occur. Plus, after the All-Star break the Sox will have plenty of cash to get players to compliment the team for the stretch drive. Play ball.

Post #44: "Pedroia got the shaft." ... He didn't have to sign. He could have waited.

Post #82: "yanks win the east next 4 years..." ... That wouldn't surprise anybody. Yanks also won the division in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. It's not necessarily about winning the division. It's about making the playoffs.

WAY TO GO, KEVIN YOUK!
I am a big fan of the guy.
Now find a place for Tek Man!

I'm sure Joba is happy this morning. He'll have 4 more years (at least) of throwing at Youk's head!
Next time it happens (which will be the 1st time the Yanks & Sox meet). Youk needs to go out there to the mound and give Joba a "Coco Crisp Special"!

Agree with poster above who stated Yanks win next 4 years, We have a CF, 3B and DH who cannot hit. CF has no arm, no power, no high average. DH swings before ball arrives because his bat speed has declined. 3B is hoping his body heals so we better pray a lot that he is healthy. Manager is a physical wreck and may have to have medical help at some point. Where is Bobby Abreu in lineup?

Awesome! Youk and Pedroia are the cornerstones for the next 4 years. THe Sox have pitching. Nice to see us taking care of 2 players that give effort every game and every at bat.
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My sentiments exactly! Why pay that astronomical amount to a jackass that NEVER planned on coming here anyway? Take care of the gutsy, hardworking ballplayers that are already OURS. Now, just sign Papelbon, and FIND a CATCHER!

I"m not crazy about it. Youk's body type seems to me one that won't get better or stay at this level when he is 32, 33, 34. Amazing though that a guy can go from 3 million to 10 plus million per year in this business.

saw a add in the (foster's sunday citizen )to regester to win 4 tickets to watch kevin youkilis play and to meet him in person. did not see any contest rules or details when i went to (www.meetyouk.com).is this a joke?