Sitting in the dugout, with his left foot still throbbing from his attempted return after fracturing the navicular bone, Dustin Pedroia summed up his situation.

"You never know what can happen," the second baseman deadpanned.

And that's why he signed.

Days before, while passing the time in front of his locker with the cast on his right thumb remaining an obstacle to normalcy, Kevin Youkilis offered his analysis of the situation.

"It doesn't cross my mind anymore. I don't have to worry about it," the first baseman said in regard to how his injury might affect his financial future.

And that's why he signed.

The two players are going through agonizing times due to their respective injuries these days. But what both Pedroia and Youkilis can take solace in are the decisions they made prior to the 2009 season, limiting the risks when it came to their contractual lot in life. 

Both made the decision to sign long-term contract extensions with the Red Sox before coming close to the fruits of free agency. With injuries putting enormous dents in their seasons, both players feel satisfied with the path they ventured down.

"This is why you sign long-term deals," said Pedroia, who had his chance at arbitration bought out with a six-year, $40.5 million deal (with a club option for 2015). "I work very hard to prevent long-term injuries, but I can't prevent a freak accident where I foul a ball off my foot in a bad spot and miss a huge chunk of the season. I understand that if I went year to year I would have made a lot more money, but there is a lot of risk. You can't plan for a freak accident. Everybody thinks differently. This is the place I wanted to be and a team I love. It was the right thing to do."

While the time off would have undoubtedly hurt Pedroia's case in arbitration if he had chosen to go that route, the setback this season might have had more of an effect on Youkilis. The 31-year-old would be getting his first crack at free agency following this season if he hadn't agreed upon a four-year, $41.125 million extension (with a $13 million club option for '13).

"It probably would have been a lot different," Youkilis said regarding a scenario of he didn't sign the extension. "I think my numbers are still good without the last two months, so I had that. You can't really worry about things like that. Who cares? I make a ton right now. I guess I don't really care to think about it too much. I'm making more money than I ever thought I was going to make."

But …

"Oh yeah. But that's a risk you've got to take," said Youkilis when asked if he feels like he would make more money if he hit the open market after this season. "Could I have made more? Of course. But I always said the greatest thing you can do in baseball is be underpaid. That's the greatest thing ever. Outperforming your contract is a great thing."

And Youkilis, comparatively speaking, has given the Red Sox plenty of bang for his buck.

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Since signing his deal -- which will pay the first baseman $9.125 million this season, and $12 million per year the next two campaigns -- Youkilis has the fifth-best OPS (.967) in the major leagues. That's better than Prince Fielder, Justin Morneau and Adrian Gonzalez. 

While Fielder and Gonzalez are still waiting for their extensions, Morneau is currently in the midst of the deal he inked prior to the 2008 season. The Minnesota first baseman makes makes $14 million in each year from '10-'13.

Then there are the comparisons to the players who will hit the open market after this season, such as Red Sox third baseman Adrian Beltre, who figures to be making in excess of Morneau's average annual value.

"I guess I don't really care to think about it too much," Youkilis explained. "I'm making more money than I ever thought I was going to make."

But would it be different if there was no deal in place, and he was barreling toward free agency with a cast on his hand?

"The anxiety would be to get healthy. I don't think it would have been about the money," Youkilis said. "It wouldn't have been worrying about the next contract. It would have been just about getting healthy and being fine because I know that if I could get healthy and swing and I could show them I could hit a ball hard, I would have been alright. Who knows? Maybe I could make more."

The plan has worked out for Youkilis. While he notes that good money would be made regardless of his recent injury, the slugger is content with the approach he and his agent, Joe Bick, took regarding the process. Part of that plan was to ride out a one-year deal when finally eligible for arbitration, which Youkilis did in the form of a $3 million contract.

"There was something the year before but it wasn't worth it. When you're going through the process you're thinking the worst things about them, but then you have to understand it's a business," Youkilis said. "They're not going to give you the highest offer. If you're a free agent you can shoot the moon. But if you're not … If you don't like [an offer] and don't feel comfortable, you play it out.

"Personally, you have to go to arbitration your first year and kind of go through the process and understand it's a growing experience. Go through it one time and then after that if they come to you with something look at it. But don't sell yourself short before arbitration. Give yourself three years of playing baseball. Yes, you can get injured. But nowadays with the way surgery goes and technology, you can get on the field a lot easier.

"You have to weigh your variables. But you've got to be smart as a player, but you have to also be smart to the other players around you. Signing a bad contract can hurt a lot of players. I took that into consideration. That's why I didn't sign a contract."