Dustin Pedroia Signs $40.5 Million Contract
December 3, 2008 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under News, Transactions
Call it an MVP bonus. A few weeks after Dustin Pedroia was named the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player, the Boston Red Sox agreed to a six-year, $40.5 million contract with the star second baseman.
Considering he has only three years of experience, this is one of the biggest contracts ever given out to a player who wasn’t arbitration eligible yet. But with his career trajectory heading north, the Red Sox thought it’d be a good time to lock Pedroia into a long-term deal.
The big years of the contract come in 2013 and 2014 when he’ll make $10 million each season. However, if he wins an MVP before those years, he’ll make $12 million each of those seasons. He also has other bonuses that could raise the overall value of the contract.
A seventh year on the deal gives the Red Sox an option to pay him $11 million in 2015 or to buy him out for under $1 million. If he stays near his current playing level, he’ll obviously be a members of the Red Sox for a long, long time.
Dustin Pedroia has had a very good season. So, I did not get surprised when i heard that he signed up a deal worth $40.5 million with Boston Red Sox.