According to WEEI's Rob Bradford, the Red Sox and Jonathan Papelbon might have reached an agreement in principle for $9.35 meeellion dollars. Link.

Reaching an agreement with Papelbon an avoiding arbitration was one of the Red Sox biggest challenges this offseason. Papelbon has never been shy about discussing his salary goals, and this one-year deal makes him the highest paid reliever in history with only four years of service time. As for the Red Sox, it's no bargain but they're getting their money's worth in one of the best relievers in the league. Time will tell if Boston will pony up even bigger bucks to do a multi-year deal with the fireballer, but at least we'll be able to enjoy another year of dominating performances from Papelbon.