According to a baseball source, the Red Sox agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed $1.2 million deal for 2012 with Alfredo Aceves, thereby avoiding salary arbitration with the pitcher. The deal includes up to $100,000 in potential bonuses, either should Aceves end up in the Red Sox rotation (with $25,000 bonuses should he reach five, 10, 15 or 25 starts) or back in the bullpen (with $25,000 bonuses awarded for 55, 60, 65 and 70 appearances), with a maximum of $100,000 in potential bonuses.
Aceves, signed last February for $650,000 after being released by the Yankees following the 2010 season, emerged as an unexpected force for the Red Sox last season. The 29-year-old went 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA, 80 strikeouts and 42 walks in 55 appearances that spanned 114 innings. All but four of his appearances were as a reliever. In his career, Aceves now owns a 24-3 record that gives him the highest winning percentage (.889) of any pitcher with at least 25 decisions in major league history.
The deal allows the Sox to avoid an arbitration hearing with the pitcher, who requested a $1.6 million deal, with the Sox offering a $950,000 contract for 2012. With Aceves signed, the only unresolved arbitration case still facing the Sox is that of designated hitter David Ortiz.
News of the agreement was first reported by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via twitter [1]).
For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [2].
Links:
[1] https://twitter.com/#!/nickcafardo/status/166156113484587009
[2] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[3] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox