Wakefield signs to stay with Red Sox for 12th season

BOSTON -- Tim Wakefield, the longest-tenured player on the Boston Red Sox, agreed Tuesday to a $4 million, one-year contract extension through 2006 that gives additional option years at the same salary as long as the team wants to retain him.

The 38-year-old knuckleballer is getting $4.67 million this year in the final season of a three-year contract. The 2006 salary is guaranteed as long as he doesn't finish this season on the disabled list due to an arm injury.

If Boston exercises its option for 2007, the Red Sox get an option for 2008, and if the team exercises the option for 2008, it also gets an option for 2009. The additional options continue until the Red Sox decline one.

In each year of the deal, Wakefield would earn bonuses of $50,000 per start from 11-20 and $75,000 for each additional start after that.

"It takes a lot of pressure off me to be able to know that I'm going to be here for a long time and I can just go out there and do my job," said Wakefield, who is off to a strong start in his 11th season with the Red Sox.

General manager Theo Epstein said he wasn't aware of any similar contracts in baseball.

Tim Wakefield has a 116-99 record during his Red Sox career. (AP)

Wakefield's deal "demonstrates that both sides really wanted to keep Tim here for as long as possible," Epstein said. "A contract such as this that has a lot of club options going forward can reward Tim for his performance and reward the club by keeping him here in a Red Sox uniform."

The pitcher stressed that he wants to retire with Boston and wants to pitch for as long as possible. Other knuckleballers have pitched successfully well into their 40s.

If the Red Sox chose not to exercise their option at any point, Wakefield could become a free agent.

"If that situation arose, I don't know what might happen then," he said.

Wakefield signed with the team in 1995 while Dan Duquette was general manager. Wakefield has moved back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation. He is a six-time finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award, a community service award presented by the commissioner's office.

Wakefield is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA in three starts this season. He is second on the team's career list with 390 appearances, third with 1,866 innings, third with 253 starts and seventh with 116 wins.

He also has 1,343 strikeouts for the Red Sox -- ahead of Cy Young and behind only Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez.

Wakefield is 116-99 with 22 saves and a 4.28 ERA for the Red Sox, and 130-111 in his career, which began with Pittsburgh.