Red Sox fill void at shortstop with veteran Scutaro

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By Jon Heyman, SI.com

Marco Scutaro is coming off a career year in which he hit .282, scored 100 runs, belted 12 homers and had a .379 on-base percentage. Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The Red Sox filled their void at shortstop with veteran Marco Scutaro, who agreed to a two-year contract plus a club option for a third, SI.com has confirmed.

Though it's unconfirmed, it's believed that Scutaro will receive about $12 million over the two guaranteed years.

Boston was looking for an offensive upgrade over Alex Gonzalez, and it got it with Scutaro, who hit .282 with 12 home runs and 100 runs scored in a breakout season for Toronto.

The Blue Jays will receive the Red Sox's first-round pick in the 2010 draft as well as a "sandwich" pick after offering arbitration to Scutaro, a Type-A free agent.

The Red Sox hope to add more offense when they sign a left fielder, whether its Jason Bay or someone else.

The Red Sox have shown varying degrees of interest in Matt Holliday, Dan Uggla, Adrian Betre and many others as it seeks to close the offensive gap with the Yankees. Boston was third in the American League in runs last season but wants to improve.

Boston has also discussed star pitchers Roy Halladay and John Lackey.

The Venezuela news outlet Lider first reported there was an agreement with Scutaro, while Venezuelan journalist Augusto Cardenas reported early Thursday that Boston sought the medical records of Scutaro. He missed the final two weeks of the season with a heel injury, but it is not considered serious.