Beckett Signs Extension

[Geaux Sox]

3 more years plus option for 2010. Not sure about the money yet.

Looking to be the ace (or one of) for the future.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

3 more years plus option for 2010. Not sure about the money yet.

Looking to be the ace (or one of) for the future.

Eventhough I am not happy with it, great move by the Red Sox.

[KCGHOST]

Nobody has the terms yet, but the Red SOx web site has said it is a done deal. The Red Sox desperately needed to keep him signed.

[FlashGordon]

Here's the Mott's on the deal. (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/)

[RedSoxVT92]

Its good to know that we will have a solid young starter/ace for at least the next three years. I hope he keeps having starts like the one he did today and continues to improve with the BoSox.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

wow 10 millions per year...

Very good that he will be on the Sox for another 4 years. Hopefully he can drop his ERA. If the Red Sox get another very good pitcher, they will be one of the big favorites for the world series.

[RichardLikeWhoa]

im so thankful we re-signed him already.

i have a feeling he will be our new "pedro" a.k.a.= dominant ACE!

[efin98]

$10 million now vs. $12-$15 million per year when he is a free agent...good business move by the team and solves a problem before it comes about.

[wilkerson_rulz-06]

Until Beckett shows me he can actually win 15+games and stay healthy, he's not worth the money he's getting.
His ERA is pretty high too.

[efin98]

Until Beckett shows me he can actually win 15+games and stay healthy, he's not worth the money he's getting.
His ERA is pretty high too.

Wait three weeks and he will have his 15+ wins.

[DoubleX]

Wait three weeks and he will have his 15+ wins.

Of course, wins is a very team related stat. A healthy and pretty decent pitcher on a good team should rack up 12-15 wins. Randy Johnson should get to at least 15 wins despite his poor season.

Overall, I think this is a pretty good deal for the Sox. If Beckett performs to expectations then 10 mil a year will be a steal. I'm still unconvinced though that he'll ever be as good as some people think he can be and durability remains a major question (the stretch this year will really be a test for him since it will be new territory, assuming he stays healthy). But overall, seems like a decent investment that could reap high rewards.

If Papelbon is moved to the rotation and can be as good there as he is as a closer, and if Lester continues to develop on the promise he's shown so far, the Sox will have a very formidable and young rotation that can carry the team for years. I have to admit, as a Yankees fan, I'm a little envious.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

But the Red Sox need another very good pitcher to be able to win it all in the future. Look at the rotation from the White Sox. This is stuff which wins it all.

[Jager]

Of course, wins is a very team related stat. A healthy and pretty decent pitcher on a good team should rack up 12-15 wins. Randy Johnson should get to at least 15 wins despite his poor season.

Overall, I think this is a pretty good deal for the Sox. If Beckett performs to expectations then 10 mil a year will be a steal. I'm still unconvinced though that he'll ever be as good as some people think he can be and durability remains a major question (the stretch this year will really be a test for him since it will be new territory, assuming he stays healthy). But overall, seems like a decent investment that could reap high rewards.

If Papelbon is moved to the rotation and can be as good there as he is as a closer, and if Lester continues to develop on the promise he's shown so far, the Sox will have a very formidable and young rotation that can carry the team for years. I have to admit, as a Yankees fan, I'm a little envious.

Although I agree that wins can be deceiving, in Beckett's case his ERA is pretty deceiving. Beckett has pitched well in most games, but has gotten absolutely hammered in a few starts this season, which has lead to the high ERA.

[DoubleX]

Although I agree that wins can be deceiving, in Beckett's case his ERA is pretty deceiving. Beckett has pitched well in most games, but has gotten absolutely hammered in a few starts this season, which has lead to the high ERA.

I don't believe his ERA is deceiving in the least. The past few seasons, while with the Marlins, Beckett tended to allow quite a lot of baserunners, and that was a number that would not get any better in the AL with the DH and with playing in Fenway. So not only was it pretty predictable that he would allow more baserunners now, but that more baserunners would come into score as well. The fact that he leads the league in homeruns allowed isn't helping his case.

I'm very curious to see how Beckett performs down the stretch. His arm has never gone over 178 IP in a season, and even when it went that long, it was intermittent and now with pitching consistently throughout the season. He's on pace for 200 IP, which isn't that much, but given that his arm hasn't rested at all this year as it has normally in years past when he had blister or leg problems, it will be interesting to see how things go for him come September.

[Jager]

I don't believe his ERA is deceiving in the least. The past few seasons, while with the Marlins, Beckett tended to allow quite a lot of baserunners, and that was a number that would not get any better in the AL with the DH and with playing in Fenway. So not only was it pretty predictable that he would allow more baserunners now, but that more baserunners would come into score as well. The fact that he leads the league in homeruns allowed isn't helping his case.

I'm very curious to see how Beckett performs down the stretch. His arm has never gone over 178 IP in a season, and even when it went that long, it was intermittent and now with pitching consistently throughout the season. He's on pace for 200 IP, which isn't that much, but given that his arm hasn't rested at all this year as it has normally in years past when he had blister or leg problems, it will be interesting to see how things go for him come September.

Believe me Beckett's ERA is definetely deceiving. I've watched every inning of every game this year, and he's had a handful of aweful outings that have killed his ERA. BTW last year with the Marlins means nothing. He has definetely given up too many homers, but He's still working on the switch to the AL. Beckett's main injuries in Florida were the blisters, and the humid weather there didn't help any. I'm not worried about this at all, Nolan Ryan also had problems with blisters early in his career, but we all know how his career went. I'm not comparing Beckett to Ryan, but I don't view blisters as a cause for concern. Like you said Beckett is on pace to get over 200 IP, and definetely has the potential to reach 20+ Wins, so all in all those are good signs of a 25 year old (now the ripe old age of 26) pitching in the AL for the first time. As far as his numbers "not getting better playing at Fenway" his ERA is around 2.50 at Fenway this season, and has only given up 3 of his league leading 27 homers there. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but let's not get carried away here. HE'S 26! Most kids are just breaking into the league, and he's an established Veteran whose best years are yet to come.
That said I hope Beckett develops another pitch in the offseason, he can pitch well right now, but if he can get a decent slider, or splitter going he has the potential to be incredible. Right now with only 3 pitches doesn't help. Who better to teach him the splitter than Curt too, huh. Anyways if you don't know what your talking about as far as Beckett, and pitching at Fenway, and if you haven't watched the games, then you really can't comment on whether his ERA is inflated or not. I assure you that it is, and this is coming from someone who has seen all his games this year.

[DoubleX]

That said I hope Beckett develops another pitch in the offseason, he can pitch well right now, but if he can get a decent slider, or splitter going he has the potential to be incredible. Right now with only 3 pitches doesn't help. Who better to teach him the splitter than Curt too, huh. Anyways if you don't know what your talking about as far as Beckett, and pitching at Fenway, and if you haven't watched the games, then you really can't comment on whether his ERA is inflated or not. I assure you that it is, and this is coming from someone who has seen all his games this year.

Yeah, I actually commented recently somewhere on I was so surprised about his good ERA at Fenway and attrocious ERA on the road. It was the same when he was with the Marlins - good ERA at Dolphins stadium, 2 runs higher on the road. I thought that could best be explained by the fact that Dolphins Stadium is a pretty good pitchers park; Fenway on the other hand is not. So I'm not sure what to think now other than Beckett knows how to pitch to his home dimensions, sort of like how Wade Boggs adapted his hitting style to make the most of his home ballparks, even if they in theory, disfavored him. As for bad starts, Beckett has 6 times given up 5 or more runs, almost 1/3 of his starts, so I'd say it's more than just a few starts he's struggled in. To get tagged like that a third of the time is not very befitting of an ace or consistency for that matter.

Even though it's good that his troubles in the past mostly had to do with blisters and not his throwing arm, that is a concern in one way. It's concerning because in years past the blister problems allowed Beckett to rest up his arm during the year, meaning it would be more lively towards the end. That has not been the case this year as he has been healthy all year. That's why I think the stretch run will be interesting, because not only will he hit new highs in IP, but he'll be doing so after his arm had been used all year instead of having periods of rest. His ERA has gone up each of the last two months which is an interesting sign (4.42 in May, 5.08 in June, 5.33 in July) but it could just be a coincidence as well.

[Jager]

I think Boston is the perfect place for a guy like Beckett to succeed. He's intense, and so are the fans, so it adds to the intensity every time out. He's obviously done well in intense situations, see the WS. As far as Beckett having "troubles" 1/3 of the time, he's only 26. Maybe he never gets any better, but I certainly like his chances, and any way you look at it, it's a great signing for the Sox. If he went to Free Agency he would have gotten much more money. Like Burnett who has much less credentials than Beckett does. Beckett frustrates me right now in some games, because it seems like the good hitting teams like the Blue Jays are good enough where, if he's not throwing his curve for strikes, they can sit on the fastball, and adjust to the changeup, because the changeup doesn't usually drop much. That's the main reason I wish he's pursue another pitch, because it would make them guess a bit more. Especially a pitch like the splitter that looks like a strike, but then drops away. Think about our young guns in the next few years though. Beckett 26, Papelbon 25, Lester 22, Hansen 22, Delcarmen 25 (I think), Van Buren 28 who has struggled with command, but shown flashes. That's a great young core of guys that are in the majors right now. Not to mentions guys like Buckholz, Bowden, Martinez, etc. that will come up in the future. I like our chances with Beckett. It's a good gamble. With that said just to make our young rotation a little better lets sign Zito in the offseason. lol. Although I am almost certain the Yankees will sign him and Carlos Lee.

[DoubleX]

I think Boston is the perfect place for a guy like Beckett to succeed. He's intense, and so are the fans, so it adds to the intensity every time out. He's obviously done well in intense situations, see the WS. As far as Beckett having "troubles" 1/3 of the time, he's only 26. Maybe he never gets any better, but I certainly like his chances, and any way you look at it, it's a great signing for the Sox. If he went to Free Agency he would have gotten much more money. Like Burnett who has much less credentials than Beckett does. Beckett frustrates me right now in some games, because it seems like the good hitting teams like the Blue Jays are good enough where, if he's not throwing his curve for strikes, they can sit on the fastball, and adjust to the changeup, because the changeup doesn't usually drop much. That's the main reason I wish he's pursue another pitch, because it would make them guess a bit more. Especially a pitch like the splitter that looks like a strike, but then drops away. Think about our young guns in the next few years though. Beckett 26, Papelbon 25, Lester 22, Hansen 22, Delcarmen 25 (I think), Van Buren 28 who has struggled with command, but shown flashes. That's a great young core of guys that are in the majors right now. Not to mentions guys like Buckholz, Bowden, Martinez, etc. that will come up in the future. I like our chances with Beckett. It's a good gamble. With that said just to make our young rotation a little better lets sign Zito in the offseason. lol. Although I am almost certain the Yankees will sign him and Carlos Lee.

I agree, I think it is a good signing and Beckett could prove to be worth much more than that. Burnett is a good example. I think Beckett is the better bet of the two, but he took less to stay in Boston - the Red Sox made what could very well be a great deal.