Japanese left-hander Hideki Okajima and the Boston Red Sox have avoided salary arbitration with an agreement on a 2.75 million-dollar, one-year contract.
Okajima was 6-0 with a 3.39 ERA last year, his third with Boston after coming to the major leagues. In all, he is 12-4 with six saves and a 2.72 ERA and was a major contributor to Boston's World Series run in 2007.
The team announced the deal with the reliever on Thursday.
Okajima is the third left-hander in baseball history to make at least 60 appearances in each of his first three seasons.
He could earn an extra 200,000 dollars in performance bonuses: 50,000 dollars each for pitching in 55, 60, 65 and 70 games.
The contract isn't guaranteed, so the Red Sox could still release Okajima in spring training and give him either 30 or 45 days' termination pay, depending on the timing.
Copyright 2010  AFP American Edition
