Day 115: Red Sox Lock Up Dustin Pedroia For A Long Time

Normally I'm not a fan of long-term deals in baseball. So much can happen to a player over the years to make him no longer worth the big money thrown at him in his prime. Look at Alex Rodriguez. They Yankees still owe him somewhere in the vicinity of $90 million and do you remember the last time you saw him play in a game? And who knows if he ever will again with the recent developments in the PED scandal.

If a player can get the big deal, it's great for them—provides security for the future. It also provides them with a comfort level that often makes them lazy and sucky. It's generally never good for the team.

When I heard the Red Sox offered Dustin Pedroia a contract extension that will keep him in Boston through the 2021 season, I was thrilled. According to ESPN Boston, Dustin Pedroia has officially become the first second baseman in Major League Baseball to cross the $100 million threshold—at least until Robinson Cano hits the free agent market.

Originally, it was reported the deal was seven years for $100 million, but the now it looks as if the Sox reworked the terms for next year which is the final year of his existing contract, making the new deal an eight-year, $110 million agreement.

Not bad for the little guy from northern California who is extremely pleased to be staying in Boston for the long haul.

"It was no-brainer to me. This is the place where they gave me an opportunity to play professional baseball," Pedroia said. "I want to make sure I do all I can to prove those people who took a chance on me right. I'm not here to set markets or do anything like that. I want to make sure the team I'm on wins more games than the other teams' second basemen. That's the way I look at it. Our job is to win games and that's what I play for."

This is a huge move for the Red Sox who have been burned numerous times on these huge multi-year contracts like Carl Crawford and JD Drew and Daisuke Matsuzaka. But Pedroia... he's a special player. The grit and determination this guy plays with each and every game makes him one of the most enjoyable competitors in the league to watch. He rarely finishes a game with a clean uniform and he grows a killer beard.

The 29-year-old has been the Red Sox full-time second baseman since 2007. He's a career .303 hitter, and other than an injury-shortened year in 2010, has been fairly consistent at the plate and in the field every year. Pedroia was voted Rookie of the Year in 2007 and named the AL MVP in 2008. He has also been selected to the All-Star team four times and he won a Gold Glove in 2011.

If you ask me, this is one of the smartest moves the Red Sox have made in a long time. I do love to watch him play!