<TABLE width="100%" align=center><TBODY><TR><TD class=vaLabel vAlign=top rowSpan=5 width=100 align=middle>
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Papelbon gets $9.35 million from Red Sox </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Jonathan Papelbon - R - BOS - Jan. 19 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>The Red Sox and RHP Jonathan Papelbon avoided arbitration on Tuesday by agreeing to a one-year, $9.35 million contract.
It could go up to $9.5 million with incentives. Papelbon has wanted to set the bar for relievers, and he has certainly done it in this respect, reaching the highest salary for a closer with four years of service time. Francisco Rodriguez still holds the record for any closer with $10 million in 2008. Papelbon, 29, has a 1.84 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over his first 268 major league appearances.
Source: ESPNBoston.com
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It could go up to $9.5 million with incentives. Papelbon has wanted to set the bar for relievers, and he has certainly done it in this respect, reaching the highest salary for a closer with four years of service time. Francisco Rodriguez still holds the record for any closer with $10 million in 2008. Papelbon, 29, has a 1.84 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over his first 268 major league appearances.
Source: ESPNBoston.com
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