BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a two-year contract with reliever Julian Tavarez with a club option for a third season.

The contract is worth $6.7 million and includes a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $3.1 million in each of the next two seasons.

The club option, worth $3.85 million, would be guaranteed if the 32-year-old right-hander appears in 125 games in the next two seasons or 65 in 2007.

Tavarez joins his eighth team since starting his major-league career with Cleveland in 1993. He spent the past two seasons with St. Louis and went 2-3 with a 3.43 ERA and four saves in 74 appearances last season.

For his career, he is 72-55 with a 4.33 ERA and 21 saves in 642 games.

To make room for Tavarez on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated for assignment right-hander Tim Bausher, who was 3-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 44 relief outings at Triple-A Pawtucket last season.

The agreement was announced Wednesday by co-general managers Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer.

AP-ES-01-18-06 1942EST