The Nixon signing was the first positive breakthrough in deciding the future of the Magnificent 7, Boston's heralded group that was eligible for free agency after this season. It was also a message to Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Scott Williamson, Jason Varitek, Nomar Garciaparra, and David Ortiz that Nixon didn't, in the words of Sox general manager Theo Epstein, hold out for "every last dollar," and made the lure of winning a championship and playing in Boston among his top priorities.
"Trot and his agent, Ron Shapiro, demonstrated aggressively right from the outset through their words and eventually through their actions that staying in Boston was their absolute priority," Epstein said. "And so we entered a negotiation with them based on their desire to stay here. In the end, they deserve all the credit because they didn't try to max out dollars and didn't try to max out years. They took a realistic approach at a contract that made sense for the player and made sense for the club."
The Red Sox would certainly like the remaining six to give a little as well, so a well-stocked team can remain just that. As for the other negotiations, Epstein said only, "Some talks are progressing and some aren't," but he would not elaborate.
Nixon, 29, batted .306 with 28 homers and 87 RBIs, including an OPS (on-base percentage and slugging percentage) of .974, which was fourth best in the AL behind Toronto's Carlos Delgado, Manny Ramirez, and Texas's Rodriguez.
The multiyear deal supplants the one-year, $6.6 million deal the sides agreed to last month to avoid arbitration.
Nixon's signing is a symbol of what the Sox want -- players who want to play here for a fair wage and win a championship, a philosophy not unlike the Patriots.
