Courtesy of Nick Cafardo and the Boston Globe, the Red Sox aren’t in a rush to extend the contract of playoff hero Josh Beckett. The right-hander is entering what might be his final Spring Training with Boston. GM Theo Epstein has set a strong precedent that he won’t overpay to re-sign Fenway favorites. Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon and Jason Bay immediately come to mind.
Even before the John Lackey signing, the writing began to appear on the wall, that Beckett’s career may not finish in Beantown. Roy Halladay‘s deal with the Phillies (3 yrs./$60MM) is a good barometer for what Beckett will command, assuming a clean bill of health. Theo sure won’t hand over such a large sum of money to a pitcher with is a high risk of a shoulder breakdown.
VJ Says: Somebody is going to give Josh Beckett a tremendous contract between now and next winter. I’d say that the odds of that team being the Boston Red Sox is fifty-fifty. The Red Sox are perennial playoff contenders. A large reason for that is because they know when to cut bait on their own superstars. Mike Lowell type deals are an aberration for this franchise.
Beckett has overcome a series of persistent blisters on his pitching hand, that plagued him early in his career. Regardless, a guy that throws as hard as he does, a long-term contract is a big risk for the team that signs him. Beckett’s tossed over 1,400 innings in the big leagues. He’s approaching the red-zone when terms like ‘Tommy John’ and ‘rotator cuff’ always seem like they’re just one pitch away.
Let’s keep an eye on how this plays out up in Boston. For now, I’d expect Beckett to come out and dominate AL hitters as he always does. He’s got a lot of cabbage riding on this season.
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