Nothing arbitrary about Papelbon's deal

The Sox also signed lefthanded specialist Javier Lopez to a one-year contract that, according to a baseball source, is worth $1.35 million, also in keeping with Epstein's history of avoiding arbitration hearings.

The Sox avoided arbitration for Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis earlier this winter by signing both to long-term contracts. While Papelbon is signed to a one-year deal, both he and the Sox remain open to a long-term commitment.

"We did have some discussions along the way," assistant GM Jed Hoyer said. "I would say certainly those discussions are open and we may pick them up going forward. I think both sides felt like in the interest of time and not exchanging numbers [for an arbitration hearing], the best thing to do was to agree on a one-year number today. But we are certainly open to exploring those ideas, and I think their side is, too."

Papelbon, who has slightly more than three years of major league service, will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season, so he was going to be a part of the Sox in 2009 no matter what. But by signing Papelbon (and Lopez), the Sox bypassed the risk of paying more after an arbitration hearing.

"It's certainly satisfying," Hoyer said. "You definitely don't go into the process saying, 'We're going to avoid it.' I think that you go in trying to get a fair number for the team. In the back of our minds, we had two players in that situation who had meant a lot to the team, who have won a lot of games for us. You certainly don't want to go into a hearing room if you don't have to."

Papelbon, 28, trails only Francisco Rodriguez (149) and Trevor Hoffman (118) in saves over the last three seasons. Hoffman, who at 41 is near the end of his career, signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Brewers last week. Rodriguez this offseason signed a three-year, $37 million deal with the Mets.