Contreras, White Sox Seal Deal

Jose Contreras and the Chicago White Sox agreed to a $29-million, three-year contract extension Saturday after he was the team’s most effective pitcher during the second half of its 2005 championship season.

Contreras was in the last year of a deal that will pay him $8 million this season.

General Manager Ken Williams said finalizing the deal was a long process.

“We had a number in mind, we had a term and it was basically whether or not Jose and his agent were going to understand our position enough to want to come back at those numbers,” Williams said.

The World Series champions play host to Cleveland tonight in the major league season opener.

Contreras, 34, finished 15-7 with a 3.61 earned-run average last season and was 11-2 after the All-Star break. He was 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA in the postseason and was the Game 1 starter in each of Chicago’s three series, against Boston, the Angels and Houston.

The right-hander set career highs for wins (15), starts (32), innings pitched (204) and strikeouts (154). He is slated to be third in the rotation this season behind Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia.

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Boston put first baseman and former Dodger Hee-Seop Choi and left-hander David Wells on the 15-day disabled list. Choi has a strained hamstring and Wells is recovering from off-season knee surgery.... Detroit reliever Todd Jones aggravated a hamstring injury and will be put on the 15-day disabled list.... San Francisco said that reliever Armando Benitez, bothered by bursitis in his left knee, would start the season on the disabled list.