Red Sox agree to terms with Saltalamacchia on one-year deal

BOSTON, MA -- The Boston Red Sox today agreed to terms with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the 2012 season, thus avoiding salary arbitration.  Terms were not disclosed.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

The 26-year-old Saltalamacchia appeared in 103 games for Boston in 2011, including 101 contests (96 starts) at catcher.  He ranked third among American Leaguers at the position with a .452 slugging percentage and was fourth among that group with 42 extra-base hits and a .741 OPS.  Overall, he set single-season career highs last year in games, at-bats (358), runs (52), hits (84), doubles (23), triples (3), home runs (16), extra-base hits (42), RBI (56), slugging percentage (.450) and OPS (.737).  He placed third among AL backstops and set a career best with 28 runners caught attempting to steal, the most by a Red Sox since Jason Varitek in 2002 (29).

Originally a supplemental first-round selection by Atlanta in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Saltalamacchia was acquired by Boston from Texas at the 2010 trade deadline.  He owns a .244 batting average (286-for-1,171) with 64 doubles, four triples, 39 home runs and 151 RBI in 353 career games over five Major League campaigns with the Braves (2007), Rangers (2007-10) and Red Sox (2010-11).