11:25pm: WEEI's Rob Bradford notes that "the only way the option wouldn’t be triggered is if Beckett finishes the ‘09 season on the disabled list." Bradford also explores the circumstances surrounding Beckett's extension, signed in July of 2006.
1:19pm: When Josh Beckett delivered his first pitch to Scott Podsednik this afternoon, his 2010 option kicked in, as anticipated. The 29-year-old righty will make $12.1MM next season and probably would have seen the Red Sox pick up his option even if he hadn't quite reached the 28 start plateau that triggered the option.
As free agents last year, C.C Sabathia ($161MM) and A.J. Burnett ($82.5MM) signed lucrative long-term deals that Beckett could have used for leverage had he hit the open market this winter. Instead, he'll wait until next offseason at the earliest.
Beckett has been worth $19.2MM so far this year, according to FanGraphs. He's striking out nearly a batter per inning, limiting his walks and allowing a characteristically low number of hits. As a result, he entered today's start as a fringe contender for the Cy Young Award thanks, in part, to his 14-5 record and 3.87 ERA.
