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( Update: Papelbon, Lopez sign one-year deals, avoid arbitration ) So you have Dustin Pedroia . You have Kevin Youkilis . Heck, you now even have White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks agreeing to a one-year, $5.6 million deal which would be the largest deal for any first-time arbitration eligible closer...

In an interview that will air tonight at 6:30pm on Comcast Sports Net New England, Red Sox principal owner John Henry told CSN that he is meeting tonight one-one-one with catcher Jason Varitek . Varitek, who has been with the Sox since 1997, remains a free-agent after rejecting the team'€™s offer...

Three days ago, this deal seemed very unlikely. From just before Christmas until early this week, Kevin Youkilis and his agent, Joe Bick, and the Red Sox seemed too far apart to strike the kind of multi-year deal which would be acceptable for the player. It was to the point that when the two sides...

Former Red Sox infielder Alex Cora is close to finalizing a one-year, $2 million deal with the New York Mets . The 33-year-old Cora played with Boston from July 7, 2005 -- when he was traded from Cleveland for infielder Ramon Vazquez -- through last season. Cora played in 75 games with the Red Sox...

Had Jason Varitek (and agent Scott Boras ) accepted salary arbitration, and with it a guarantee of more than $10 million for the 2009 season, none of this would have been an issue. But the Red Sox captain (and his agent) declined the offer, and the market for his services has been akin to a desert...

Here is the transcript (courtesy the crack Red Sox PR staff) from the John Smoltz / Theo Epstein press conference at Fenway Park : Epstein opening statement: Yesterday we had an announcement about a new Hall of Famer and today we have an exciting Red Sox announcement about a future Hall of Famer. Â...

Little has changed, according to a major-league source, in trade conversations between the Diamondbacks and Red Sox about a potential trade of a Red Sox pitcher for Arizona catcher Miguel Montero . The source suggested that there was nothing new or concrete in discussions between the two sides,...

Jim Rice was elected to the Hall of Fame, receiving 76.4 percent of votes'€”seven more than the required minimum for election'€”from the Baseball Writers Association of America in his 15th and final year of eligibility for Cooperstown. He becomes the third player ever elected in his final year...

I'€™ll have more on the the signing of Takashi Saito a little later, but until then let me give you most of the transcript from the reliever'€™s conference call Saturday (thanks to MLB.com'€™s Ian Browne ): Theo Epstein : '€œHe'€™s done an amazing job since coming over from Japan three...

At least there is one constituency that has strong feelings about Justin Masterson's role. The pitcher's parents have thrown their voice into the mix, proclaiming a preference that he continue his career as a starter. The reason for that stance? "They say it would be a lot easier to watch your...