Globe: Sox Close to Deal with Schilling
According to the Boston Globe and other sources, the Red Sox and Curt Schilling are very close to a 1 year deal. It will likely be worth about $13 million dollars.
Given the market for 1-year deals with established AL starting pitchers (see Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte last year), this is a no-brainer. Curt might be a polarizing figure, but his track record on the mound speaks for itself. He’s lost nearly 10 MPH on his fastball over the years, but the guy just knows how to get hitters out in the rough and tumble American League. At best, he’s one of the better #2 or #3 starters in the game. At the very worst, he has an off-year and sails off into the sunset (and Cooperstown, likely) while the kids get another year of experience under their belt, in preparation for 2009.
Curt could probably get more money elsewhere if he wanted to, so a tip of the cap goes his way for agreeing to a bit of a hometown discount.