ESPN/Boston is reporting tonight that the Red Sox will not offer Josh Beckett more than a four-year extension on his contract.

Considering that Beckett is already signed for 2010, that was likely the case all along. Signing him to a five-year deal would create a six-year commitment and that is a lot for any pitcher.

The five-year, $82.5 million deals given to A.J. Burnett and John Lackey came when they were free agents. Beckett is not yet a free agent, but he still could command the same average annual value of $16.5 million for an extension.

A four-year extension worth $66 million would put Beckett in the same neighborhood.