Koji Uehara, Red Sox agree to new two-year contract worth $18 million

The luster wore off Boston Red Sox closer Koji Uehara a bit in 2014, but the team still likes Uehara enough to extend him for two more seasons. The team announced Thursday a new two-year contract for Uehara, who will bypass free agency and make $18M over the next two seasons.

Uehara was lights-out in 2013, saving 21 games with a minuscule 1.09 ERA. He also saved seven games in the postseason and allowed just one run as the Red Sox won the World Series. This season wasn't as kind. Uehara had 26 saves and a 2.52 ERA — which isn't bad, just not as great as 2013.

Alex Speier of WEEI in Boston was first to report how much the Red Sox were paying Uehara. That leaves David Robertson, Casey Janssen and Francisco Rodriguez among the top closers on the free-agent market. Other top free-agent relievers include Pat Neshek, Andrew Miller and Luke Gregerson.

As for Uehara, he'll turn 40 on April 3, so the Red Sox are committing a considerable amount of money to a pitcher in the twilight of his career. But, it's not like Uehara is a mystery for Boston GM Ben Cherington. The Red Sox know exactly who they're getting.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz